— discussions ongoing with Philippines, India
THE Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) is intensifying efforts to address staffing shortages, particularly within its nursing service, through a combination of local training initiatives and international recruitment.
Chief Executive Officer Robbie Rambarran said the institution has been engaging human resource and talent recruitment agencies as part of ongoing efforts to strengthen its workforce.
Discussions are also under way with agencies in countries such as the Philippines and India to secure specialised personnel who can help meet growing demands within the healthcare system.
“In terms for the doctors, there isn’t much of a challenge. There’s a huge challenge in nursing staff. We have engaged human resource agencies, talent agency in recruiting staff, which we’re in the process of having discussions,” he said during an appearance on the Starting Point Podcast over the weekend.
He noted that the GPHC has been working on both short-term and long-term solutions to address gaps.
As part of those efforts, the hospital has expanded training programmes for patient care assistants, who play a supporting role in the delivery of nursing services. In addition, a large number of nursing assistants are currently undergoing training.
Rambarran said approximately 600 registered nurses are expected to graduate by the end of the year, providing a substantial boost to the country’s health-care workforce.
“We have been training a lot of people in Guyana as patient care assistants, which complement nursing. There is nursing assistant…a lot of them [will] graduate at the end of this year, about 600 registered nurses will be graduated; so while we are training, we are looking to bring in some specialised staff who will help boost that workforce in the nursing service.”
While training continues locally, the GPHC is also seeking to recruit specialised staff from overseas to strengthen the nursing service and ensure adequate staffing levels across departments.
The CEO acknowledged that there are also some shortages in pharmacy and medical-technology services, though these are less severe than those affecting nursing.
He explained that the opening of several new regional hospitals has contributed to staffing shifts, with health-care workers opting to take up positions closer to their homes.
“People are going there to work because they live closer, and that is understandable,” Rambarran said, adding that reduced commuting costs and improved convenience have made those positions attractive to many employees.
Despite these challenges, Rambarran said the hospital remains focused on ensuring that critical services are maintained while recruitment and training efforts continue.
“There is a little bit of gap in pharmacy and medical tech, but with the new hospitals that are opened, people are going there to work because they live closer and that is understandable. They live closer, it’s less cost for them to come to Georgetown…now we have repositioned in those departments and looking for staff, but our major challenge is in the nursing service, and we are working with both training and recruitment,” he explained.
