Cabinet has acknowledged the continued migration of locally trained nurses to overseas jobs and is weighing strategies to retain healthcare professionals in Antigua and Barbuda, even as it invests in their advanced training.

During the post-Cabinet media briefing, Chief of Staff Ambassador Lionel Hurst confirmed that the government is currently supporting 15 nurses enrolled in a master’s programme in public health at the UWI Five Islands Campus.

“These 15 nurses will receive the additional monies from the Prime Minister’s Scholarship,” Hurst stated, noting the group had already completed the first year of the two-year programme.

While recognising the trend of nurses leaving for better-paying opportunities abroad, Hurst said the government still sees value in professional development.

_“We may lose some, but we’ll also gain in the long run,”_ he said. _“Many doctors, for example, go abroad to learn special skills and then return to Antigua and Barbuda.”_

When asked about plans to reduce the brain drain, Hurst explained:

_“We live in a free market and, except for the times when we bond some students… most workers are free to find employment elsewhere.”_

He added that even temporary migration can offer long-term benefits.

_“There are students at the Antigua and Barbuda Hotel and Training Institute… who go off to the Jersey Islands during the summer months. They come back with new skills, new experiences.”_

Cabinet also reiterated its long-term goal of self-sufficiency in healthcare staffing.

_“The importation of the doctors and nurses is a stop-gap measure,”_ Hurst explained. _“There will come a time when Antigua and Barbuda will be completely self-sufficient—but that time has not yet arrived.”_

The government continues to collaborate with the UWI Five Islands Campus to provide higher-level training and is supporting both undergraduate and postgraduate nursing programmes as part of a broader healthcare strategy.