Student nurses in St Vincent and the Grenadines must now be vaccinated as part of their work arrangements, according to a document seen by NEWS784.
The document dated 30 August 2021 with the heading – Vaccination Of Health Professional Students were addressed to the Head of Programmes and Heads of units.
The contents of the document stated the following;
“Kindly be advised that Cabinet on Wednesday 18 August 2021, accepted and approved the recommendation from the Ministry of Health that all health professional students who access government health care facilities for training purposes to be vaccinated”.
Ministry officials were not available for comment.
According to a draft of the Public Health (Public Bodies Special Measures) Rules 2021, which is currently available for public consultation, every frontline employee must be vaccinated against COVID-19.
“Every frontline employee must be vaccinated against the coronavirus-disease 2019, with at least the first dose in the case of a vaccine that requires two doses; and by the period to be notified in writing to the frontline employee by his employer on the advice of the Chief Medical Officer”.
Frontline employee means –
·a health care employee;
·a member of the Royal Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force;
·prison staff within the meaning of the Prisons Act, Cap. 393; and
·an employee appointed to perform duties at an airport or seaport, including a customs officer and immigration officer; and includes a person engaged to perform services (whether clinical or non-clinical) at the Milton Cato Memorial Hospital or health service as an independent contractor.
