NASSAU, The Bahamas – The Ministry of Health and Wellness is moving to make career opportunities available for young Bahamians in the healthcare profession, beyond the traditional careers of doctor and nurse.
This is being done in collaboration with the Ministry of Education, Technical and Vocational Training, and the Health Professions Council.
A formal announcement was made during a press conference held at the ministry on Tuesday, March 25, 2025.
Present were: The Hon. Dr. Michael Darville, Minister of Health and Wellness; the Hon. Glenys Hanna-Martin, Minister of Education and Technical & Vocational Training; Chief Medical Officer Dr. Pearl McMillan; and Health Professions Council Registrar, Joyanne Josey-Wilson.
Shared were career opportunities, including training, available to young Bahamians in the healthcare industry beyond the traditional careers as doctors and nurses.
The collaboration also seeks to encourage more young Bahamians to pursue careers in allied health, aiming to reduce the country’s dependence on foreign workers and address long-standing shortages in the healthcare system.
As part of this initiative, the Health Professions Council will stage its inaugural Allied Health Careers Fair on Friday, April 4, from 10am to 2pm at the Ministry of Health and Wellness on Meeting Street. The event targets senior students and other Bahamians interested in entering the field.
In underscoring the significance of the collaboration, Dr. Darville described the promotion of allied healthcare professions as critical.
He further noted that these workers such as radiographers, physiotherapists, optometrists, audiologists, dietitians, and others — are as vital to the health system as doctors and nurses.
Dr. Darville also observed the country, like many others, continues to experience shortages in these specialties and must recruit from abroad to fill the gaps.
“So this whole drive now is to get Bahamians interested in the careers so that we can start training in the short term, while we are beginning now to find the resources so that we can expand our healthcare workforce that will be able to populate these new clinics, new hospitals, and to be able to provide services to our people,” he said.
Dr. Darville also revealed that the government is preparing to launch a new programme at the Bahamas Baptist University College for informatics-trained clinical nurse professionals, and is finalizing a curriculum that will lead to a pharmacy degree.
And, those partnerships with tertiary institutions in New Providence and Grand Bahama were formed to expand allied health training.
The Public Hospitals Authority Academy launched in 2022, which has trained pharmacy technicians, patient care technicians, and clinical nurses will graduate its latest cohort next month, Dr. Darville noted.
Throwing her ministry’s support behind the new partnership, Mrs Hanna-Martin said the push is urgent, given the number of work permits issued annually for allied health roles.
“This is a big day, and we are grateful for this exposure, which we hope will lead to more long-term engagement for our young people and the building of capacity on a more permanent basis in our health care sector,” she said.
Mrs. Hanna-Martin said talks with Bahamas Technical & Vocational Institute are ongoing to help address the gap, and that the government intends to increase scholarships in this area.
Chief Medical Officer Dr. Pearl McMillan spoke of the upcoming careers fair, which is part of a broader effort to create a sustainable healthcare system that relies less on work permits and more on homegrown talent.
