Healthcare Crisis: Nurses Demand Pay

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NASSAU , BAHAMAS – Veteran nurses are still waiting on their overtime and mileage pay, and even more concerning, new nursing interns said they haven’t received a single paycheck since January.

That’s according to Nurses’ Union President Muriel Lightbourne.

Lightbourne called the situation “unacceptable,” and warned that young professionals are struggling just to survive, questioning whether they should even show up to work.

Muriel Lightbourne – President, Bahamas Nurses Union

“How are they supposed to make it? I literally had a nurse ask me if they’re supposed to come to work and not getting paid. Can I not just stay home?”

She said that the impact goes beyond finances, threatening the future of the profession and discouraging the next generation of nurses from entering the field.

Muriel Lightbourne – President, Bahamas Nurses Union

“The young nurse, the nursing intern, she voiced, she’s like, I came in here, I left a good-paying job, I want to do nursing, but for what? Looks like I need to go back where I came from.”)

The concerns don’t stop there.

Lightbourne pointed to unexplained deductions, some nurses reporting as much as $600 missing from their pay, with no clear answers.

She also accused violations of existing agreements, saying nurses who work on their days off are not being properly compensated.

Muriel Lightbourne – President, Bahamas Nurses Union

“They are told that they’re not being paid double time. Instead, they’re being paid time and a half. That is a breach of our constitution. That’s a breach of our industrial agreement.”

As the government moves forward with plans for a new hospital, Lightbourne argued the focus should first be on fixing what’s already broken.

Muriel Lightbourne – President, Bahamas Nurses Union

“You’re breaking ground, and there’s still a shortage of medication in the hospital. You’re breaking ground for a new hospital, right? But you still don’t have sufficient staff to man the wards, the hospitals that you have now sitting here.”

With a system under pressure, a workforce demoralized, and growing questions tonight about whether urgent action will come before conditions worsen even further, the Nurses’ Union president says she hopes officials make an effort to address them.