Seven out of 12 Ghanaian nurses in Barbados recover from coronavirus

Seven out of the 12 nurses who tested positive for COVID-19 since arriving in Barbados on July 30 have recovered.

The other five are still being treated in a facility at Harrison Point, St Lucy while another who tested positive for Malaria has been discharged.

This update was provided by Acting Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Kenneth George, Dailymailgh.com can confirm.

All 95 nurses, according to Dr. George, are deemed to “have completed three consecutive weeks of quarantine and have been certified COVID-19 free by the Ministry of Health and Wellness”.

He said that the nurses had moved out of the quarantine facilities and into private residences, and the process of orientation and registration with the Nursing Council of Barbados had begun.

Background

A total of 95 nurses from the West African nation are in Barbados on a two-year assignment, in response to outreach by the Barbados Government for specialist nurses to bolster the nursing complement in the public health sector.

They will be attached to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, the Geriatric Hospital and the polyclinics.

During her visit to Ghana Prime Minister Ms. Mia Amor Mottley said the importation of the nurses was one of the most important things for the Barbadian government, stressing that “we have to complete this in order to guarantee quality health care we want for our citizens.”

She said the shortage of nurses in Barbados could take a number of years to fill, especially due to the number of years it took to train them, adding that “I raised it with the President and he immediately, in a press conference in Barbados, announced that Ghana would assist and provide the nurses.”