Trinidad and Tobago is grappling with a persistent national shortage of nursing professionals, driven largely by mass outmigration of qualified workers to nations with far more competitive compensation and benefit packages, the country’s Health Minister Dr. Lackram Bodoe has confirmed. Speaking to reporters on Tuesday following the official launch handover ceremony for the inaugural Nursing Assistant Programme at the Port of Spain campus of the College of Science, Technology, and Applied Arts of Trinidad and Tobago (COSTAATT), Bodoe framed the crisis as part of a larger global trend, while outlining the government’s multi-pronged strategy to rebuild and strengthen the domestic healthcare workforce.
Bodoe emphasized that expanding the local care pipeline requires investment across all tiers of the nursing profession, not just increasing the number of registered nurses. “When we talk about building a robust nursing workforce, we cannot overlook the critical role that nursing assistants play in supporting frontline care delivery,” he told reporters. Under the new COSTAATT programme, the first cohort of 200 aspiring nursing assistants is scheduled to begin training in September, with a second intake of 200 additional candidates planned for January 2024. “This is a meaningful step forward, and the Ministry of Health remains committed to exploring every possible avenue to recruit and retain skilled nursing professionals across the country,” he added.
The minister openly acknowledged that retaining experienced nurses remains one of the sector’s most pressing challenges, as thousands of trained professionals have relocated abroad in search of better career and financial opportunities. “Many of our nurses have left our shores to seek greener pastures, and the core of the issue is that destination countries are able to offer far more attractive compensation packages than we can currently provide,” Bodoe explained. “Our goal right now is to create incentives that will encourage these skilled professionals to return home and serve the people of Trinidad and Tobago.” To advance this goal, the national Cabinet has already given formal approval to a new diaspora engagement programme designed to facilitate the return of expatriate healthcare workers to the country’s public health system.
When asked about ongoing negotiations to raise nursing salaries to stem the outmigration wave, Bodoe confirmed that active discussions are already underway. “As Health Minister, I have collected detailed data from regional health authorities (RHAs) across the country, and those materials have been passed to the Minister of Finance to guide negotiations with collective bargaining bodies,” he said.
Beyond the nursing shortage, Bodoe also addressed growing public complaints about access to critical medications under the country’s Chronic Disease Assistance Programme (CDAP), noting that he has ordered full reports from all regional health authorities to get a clear picture of the scope of the issue. Preliminary investigations indicate that most reported drug shortages stem from distribution gaps rather than a systemic national lack of medication, according to the minister. “Even if a medication is out of stock at one local health centre, it is almost always available at another facility within the same region,” Bodoe said. “We have issued new instructions requiring pharmacists to first check stock at nearby facilities and connect patients to available medication before turning anyone away.”
Bodoe added that broader systemic issues, including understaffing from the nursing shortage and global post-pandemic supply chain disruptions, have contributed to access gaps, and his team is working at speed to resolve these bottlenecks. “We are actively addressing every layer of these supply and distribution issues to ensure all Trinbagonians can access the chronic care medications they need,” he said.
The minister also responded to public concerns about long wait times and limited access to laboratory testing at public health facilities, confirming he has requested full reports from regional health authorities to assess the scale of the problem. He noted that while many routine tests are available at local health centers, specialized testing is often routed to the country’s major public hospitals, where services are already available for referred patients.
Finally, Bodoe provided an update on the long-awaited opening of the new Central Block at the Port of Spain General Hospital. While the facility was officially handed over from the Urban Development Corporation of Trinidad and Tobago (UDeCOTT) to the Ministry of Health on July 14, no firm opening date has been set. Work is still ongoing to commission all medical equipment, train clinical and administrative staff, and complete mandatory safety and operational inspections. “We will not set an opening date just to satisfy public demand,” Bodoe said. “Our top priority is ensuring that when the first patient walks through the doors, the facility is completely safe, fully operational, and ready to deliver high-quality care that the public deserves.”