This is according to Barbados' Health and Wellness Minister, Lt. Col. Jeffrey Bostic who welcomed some 49 Ghanaian nurses, who have been assigned to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in the country.
He noted that the country has begun negotiations to establish a direct air route between Barbados and Ghana.
Lt. Col. Jeffrey Bostic further noted that due to the cultural and historical bonds between Barbados and the African continent, the country has plans to establish another embassy in Nairobi, Kenya.
“This is a very serious undertaking by the Government of Barbados to really have those connections and those ties, and to cement something that should have been cemented several years ago,” he said.
Meanwhile, the 49 Ghanaian nurses are part of a 95-member contingent on a two-year-assignment in Barbados to help bolster the island’s nursing complement. Their specialities include paediatrics, ophthalmology, surgical intensive care, and accident and emergency.
While welcoming the nurses, the minister noted that their services would play a vital role in the country's health system since it lacked sufficient human resources.
“And even with your presence here, we are still short of nurses. It is a global problem and we have suffered, but we don’t intend to suffer for too long because we are taking some steps to make sure that we establish some sort of a nursing school in this country that would allow us to produce more nurses, some for export and some for here in Barbados,” he said.
Adding that "No one has a monopoly on knowledge or experience, but the collective wisdom of the persons in this room working together to deliver the highest level of health care to the people of Barbados, that is going to speak volumes for the relationship between Ghana and Barbados going forward,” he maintained.
Lt. Col. Jeffrey Bostic told the Ghanaians: “This is a beautiful country, but like all countries, not every single thing is going to be to your liking and you will come upon challenges from time to time, but you must fight those challenges based on the fact that you should recognise that this is your ancestral home in the Americas.
“You must fight any obstacles of criticisms with your professional conduct and the delivery of high quality professional medical services to the people of Barbados.”