Basseterre, St Kitts and Nevis: Prime Minister and Minister of Health of St Kitts and Nevis, Terrance Drew, addressed the nurses at a special ceremony held on Tuesday, August 29, 2023, at the JNF General Hospital Conference Room who recently received their Licenses after a decade of struggle.
In his address, he acknowledged and congratulated the reinstated Licensed Registered Nurses for their accomplishments, highlighting that the Government of St Kitts and Nevis plans to offer compensation in return for what they have gone through since 2013.
On August 17, 2023, the St. Christopher and Nevis Nurses and Midwives Council officially reinstated the Registered Nurse Licenses for all nurses who had trained from the universities in Cuba.
Ten years before, back in 2013, several nurses from St Kitts and Nevis went to Cuba to pursue training opportunities to gain medical education, nursing skills and general staff certificates and associate degrees in nursing but were not recognized by St. Christopher and Nevis Nurses and Midwives Council when they return to Twin Island federation and tried to begin their career in medical field.
Only those who completed a Bachelor of Science in Nursing were licensed by the St. Christopher and Nevis Nurses and Midwives Council in 2013. Their hardships didn’t end there; in 2015, the council revoked their licences two years later in 2015.
While addressing PM, Drew said, “You are finally being accepted fully as nurses in the industry after a wait of almost ten years thanks to the Nursing Council’s review of your case and what, in my opinion, was the right course of action”.
Prime Minister and Minister of Health Terrance Drew also mentioned that he has worked with those nurses and observed how they operate. In his opinion, there is no deficiency. The nurses are equally qualified to work as a nurse as anyone else.
During the ceremony at JNF General Hospital Conference Room, PM And Health Minister Drew congratulated the nurses who officially reinstated the nurse licences.
He emphasized that it shows the Government’s unwavering support for healthcare personalities and their commitment to upscale the healthcare infrastructure of the federation.
The names of New Licensed Registered Nurses are mentioned below-
Lesley Hendricks-Anthony
Jennifer James
Natasha Mitchum
Amanda Caines
Samantha Morson
Karensa Browne
Teressa Maynard
Trevalyn Madenborough
Natasha Mitchum
Nicole Browne
Ashley Bedform
Vivene Green
Danisha Grant