MRS EDITH ALLWOOD-ANDERSON, president of the Nurses' Association of Jamaica (NAJ), is well respected among the nursing fraternity. She has been putting a lot of effort into lobbying for Jamaican nurses.

I am concerned about what Mrs Allwood-Anderson is doing for student nurses. Does she have the power to lobby for students? After all, we must first be registered with the NAJ before starting school. I am a nursing student. My school fee per annum is the Jamaican equivalent of US$5,000. For nursing students to be paying such exorbitant fees, shouldn't the Government at least be subsidising some of these costs for students who cannot afford it, even if we have to be bonded for a few years?

Students who can't afford to pay fees out of their pockets have to access loans from the Students' Loan Bureau. With the interest rate that will be added to the principal, my loan is going to be a hefty sum to pay back.

Brain drain

This situation has caused, and is still causing, a brain drain of the nation's nurses. Newly qualified nurses have no other choice but to take advantage of the various job opportunities abroad to repay their loans and live better lives. Some nurses abroad have two houses, a car and are living well above the poverty line. Everyone knows that for a Jamaican nurse to attain this is very hard. There are many Jamaican nurses who would love to remain and contribute to the local health sector, but being a patriot means staying poor. This does not appeal to many young and upcoming nurses.

If there is no wage increase, nurses will find it hard to pay back loans on time. This is one of my worst fears. I should not have to be worrying about how I will repay my loan, I have my studies to think about. Why should Jamaica have a nursing shortage while other countries benefit from our trained professionals? There have been so many reports on how well the Jamaican nurses perform in hospitals abroad. This is an indication that the local nursing schools are doing their jobs in producing qualified nurses. So why is the Government not trying to hold on to its nurses?

I am, etc.,

Francene Bramwell

brambram87@yahoo.com