A letter to the editor has raised urgent concerns about the plight of Antigua and Barbuda's most recent cohort of midwifery graduates, who remain unable to practise their profession months after completing their training due to unresolved licensing delays.
The cohort began their studies in January 2024 and successfully completed the programme in August 2025. Their training was demanding — balancing rigorous academic coursework with the clinical requirement of completing a set number of deliveries to qualify for final examinations.
The students sat their examinations in December 2025 and received initial feedback in January 2026. Those who passed promptly submitted applications for licensure in the second week of January. Months on, not a single license has been issued. No clear explanation has been offered.
The situation is equally troubling for students who resat their examinations earlier this year. Those individuals have yet to receive their results. Repeated attempts to contact the Nursing Council and the Ministry of Health have reportedly been met with silence or vague responses.
The delays are being felt across the broader healthcare system. Antigua and Barbuda has publicly acknowledged a critical shortage of midwives, yet these fully trained practitioners remain confined to their roles as registered nurses, unable to apply the specialised skills they worked to acquire.
The problem is not limited to new graduates. Practicing midwives seeking relicensure are also facing significant delays, adding further pressure to the country's maternal healthcare services. The letter also calls for the modernisation of the licensing system itself — specifically, replacing fragile paper licences with durable, standardised identification cards similar to driver's licences.
Adding to the concern is the fact that a new cohort of midwifery students has already begun training. The letter questions how the system can justify recruiting and training new professionals while failing to process and support those who have already qualified.
The correspondence calls for immediate transparency from the relevant authorities, the prompt release of all outstanding examination results, and the expedited processing of every pending licence application.
"This is not merely an administrative issue," the letter states. "It is a matter that directly impacts the quality of care available to mothers and newborns across our nation."
