At a Wednesday press conference hosted at Roseau’s iconic Fort Young Hotel, Christine Dupuis-Dubique, the Team Unity Dominica (TUD) candidate running for the Paix Bouche and Calibishie Constituency seat, laid out a sweeping set of proposals to uplift the island nation’s healthcare workforce and improve care access for all Dominican patients.
Dupuis-Dubique centered her remarks on the urgent need to prioritize frontline healthcare workers, who she argues have long been undervalued by the current administration. She outlined five core pillars of workplace reform that her team would advance if elected: equitable competitive compensation, safer minimum staffing ratios to prevent worker burnout, full and fair work allowances, sustained access to continuing professional education, and transparent, merit-based pathways for career advancement.
The candidate specifically highlighted gaps in support for entry-level public health aides and other workers who enter the field through Dominica’s National Employment Program (NEP). Far too many of these early-career professionals are stuck in temporary, precarious roles with no clear path forward, she explained. To address this, Dupuis-Dubique called for standardized formal training, clearly outlined role expectations, consistent professional supervision, industry-recognized certification for entry-level staff, and structured roadmaps that connect entry-level work to long-term career growth in the healthcare sector.
A key signature policy Dupuis-Dubique proposed is the establishment of a national Dominica Health Professional Return and Retention Program. The initiative is designed to reverse the ongoing brain drain that has siphoned off many of the island’s most talented healthcare workers to overseas roles. Under the plan, the government would create specialized, meaningful roles for returning clinicians, formally recognize professional experience gained outside Dominica, provide financial and logistical support for relocation, and offer competitive compensation packages that encourage domestic healthcare workers to build their careers on the island instead of seeking opportunities abroad.
“Every healthcare worker on our island deserves the chance to grow professionally, and every Dominican patient deserves access to safe, high-quality care when they need it,” Dupuis-Dubique emphasized, adding that improving working conditions for staff is directly tied to improving care outcomes for the public.
Beyond workforce reforms, the candidate also called for urgent investment in emergency medical infrastructure, specifically the deployment of a fully operational mobile emergency care unit. She stressed that the unit must be stocked with fully functional, well-maintained medical equipment to ensure it can deliver life-saving care to communities across the constituency when called on.