Salary adjustments for experienced nurses – Pres. Ali

President Dr Irfaan Ali on Thursday signalled that experienced nurses will receive salary adjustments, acknowledging that recent changes to the pay scale have resulted in newly graduated registered nurses entering the profession at salary levels comparable to those of some long-serving healthcare workers.

President Ali made these remarks during the graduation ceremony for Guyana’s largest cohort of registered nurses at the National Cultural Centre in Georgetown.

In 2022, President Ali announced a raft of salary increases for medical workers, with adjustments ranging from 36.4 per cent to as much as 74.7 per cent.

Notable increases included medical officers, whose minimum salaries were increased from $219,878 to $300,000, while specialist doctors, including gynaecologists and endocrinologists, saw their minimum salaries rise from $276,536 to $450,000.

Addressing the graduating nurses, President Ali said the Government had listened to concerns from healthcare workers who have spent decades in the profession.

“Someone with a degree in banking would go to the banking sector in their early 20s too. And they will not be in a position you are in today, because even the salaries have changed. And let me say to the nurses who are already in the system, including my dear sister who is chairing the programme, we have heard you also, because we know people like you are in the system for 20 years, 25 years.”

He added: “Today, the new nurses will come and catch you at your salary scale because of the transition we made. That will be fixed, and that will be corrected. But like our sister who was chairing the programme, she can tell you about what you’re achieving today – that in your early 20s, you’re a registered nurse, and you will be placed on the salary scale of a registered nurse. Do not take this lightly.”

Amid theseremarks, President Ali emphasised that while salaries are important, the nursing profession must also be measured by the care, compassion, and wellbeing provided to patients.

“Nursing is a profession in which the value of what you do cannot be measured merely by a salary, a pay slip, or a job description. It must also be measured in the number of people whose suffering you have eased, in the number of scared patients you have reassured, in the number of families to whom you have brought comfort, and in the number of lives that you have helped to preserve.”
He noted that 669 persons graduated as registered nurses, describing the achievement as “a phenomenal number”.

In June, President Ali announced that the Government would address salary disparities among healthcare workers that emerged following recent pay adjustments.

Speaking during a meeting with Public Health Sector leaders at State House, the President said that disparities affecting doctors, nurses, and consultants were under review. He noted that a team had already been tasked with examining the issue and proposing measures to achieve greater parity across the sector.

Meanwhile, President Ali said that while Guyana needs more nurses, the country must also focus on producing healthcare professionals who are better prepared to meet the demands of a changing healthcare system.

“We need more nurses, undoubtedly, but we also need better-prepared nurses. We need more graduates, but we also need graduates equipped for the future. We must therefore become more innovative in how we train. We must continue to utilise hybrid forms of training. We must continue to make greater use of technology. We must use digital platforms to supplement classroom learning.”
President Ali said the Government is seeking to make nursing education more accessible by bringing training opportunities closer to students, particularly those in hinterland communities.

He said young people should not have to abandon their dreams of becoming nurses because nursing schools are located too far from their communities, stressing that accessibility and innovation are key to expanding opportunities.

Ali also urged the graduating nurses to remember the human side of healthcare, reminding them that patients should not be viewed merely as numbers or diagnoses, but as individuals with emotions, families, and personal experiences.

He encouraged the graduates to treat every patient with compassion, and recognise the importance of providing care to those who may be experiencing fear, pain, loneliness, or vulnerability.