Government Unveils Nurse Retention Package

The Government of Belize is rolling out a new plan aimed at keeping the country’s nurses right here at home. Officials have approved a retention package designed to slow the steady outflow of trained healthcare workers, an issue that’s been putting real pressure on the health system. According to the Ministry of Health and Wellness, the move comes after data confirmed what many already knew: nurses are the backbone of healthcare, and losing experienced staff is becoming increasingly costly. The new package offers salary‑related allowances and phased incentives intended to improve working conditions and encourage long‑term commitment. Today, Chief Nursing Officer Lizette Bell broke down what’s included in the retention package and why she believes it’s just one of several steps needed to strengthen the country’s nursing workforce.

 

Lizette Bell, Chief Nursing Officer, Ministry of Health and Wellness

“We were able to use the data and information that we have when it comes to the number of nurses that we have when it comes to the movement and migration of nurses and how essential nurses are to the health system.”

 

 Shane Williams

“What does the retention package include, and do you think it’ll be effective to keeping our nurses at home?”

 

Lizette Bell

“It is only one step towards keeping our nurses at home because we have other initiatives that we are also doing for nurses to keep them in Belize. So this is only one step, and so this retention package include in the phase one, a specialist allowance for all nurses, which is ten percent of their annual salary. It also includes an increase in their uniform allowance from three hundred to five hundred annually. Since that was phase one for 2025, so phase two will come into effect in April of 2026, which is this year. They will be seeing a two hundred dollars monthly for their hazard allowance and also a night allowance of a hundred dollars after working ten consecutive nights. And in 2027, we have certain categories of nurses who will start to see responsibility allowance in different quantums every month, but that is based on their category. So responsibility allowance, vehicle allowance and telephone allowance.  Those are in 2027, but that is only one strategy that we have implemented in the ministry. The next strategy include the increase in access to educational opportunities for our nurses. We have been investing in the last two to three years more than ever in nursing education.”