by BARRY ALLEYNE

TWENTY-SEVEN nurses at this country's lone psychiatric hospital are today smiling.

For almost four years, the nurses had provided their services to the Black Rock, St Michael mental institution without being remunerated for their qualifications but their increased salaries were finally approved by the Ministry of the Civil Service last week.

The 27 nurses, who were substantive nursing assistants, had completed a three-year Associate Degree programme at the Barbados Community College, before passing a regional exam to become fully qualified as registered nurses in 2006.

The nurses' issues had been brought to the public's attention last year, in a December 30 issue of the DAILY NATION.

The non-payment had resulted from changes made to the Nurses Act 2008, and the Public Services Act of the same year, which changed the parametres of the Service's qualifications order, which determines level of qualifications needed for any personnel to join as staff of a health care institution in Barbados.

Director of the hospital, Tennyson Springer, had said the problems existed because the process of getting the qualification order amended was "a very involved one" .

Springer, who had personally urged the nursing aides to improve their qualifications and become registered nurses, had also taken on the challenge of trying to expedite the process, having first written the Ministry of the Civil Service back in 2006 regarding the matter.

According to the hospital chief, most of the nurses had been extremely understanding of the long wait, but a few remained extremely disheartened, and had gone as far as contacting Minister of Health Donville Inniss about the matter.

Despite the 27 employees having earned their qualified status, the hospital remains marginally understaffed, with 25 vacancies for nurses remaining unfilled.

In the meantime, the instutition has started a special in-house training programme this month, aimed at filling the void by the middle of 2010.