Health Minister Sir Molwyn Joseph on Friday welcomed the arrival of 119 Ghanaian nurses to Antigua and Barbuda, calling it a historic and symbolic boost for the country’s healthcare system.

The nurses arrived around 6 p.m. on a chartered flight at V.C. Bird International Airport, accompanied by six delegates. Joseph, dressed in traditional African attire, received the group during a brief airport ceremony.

“This is truly a delightful moment in the history of Antigua and Barbuda,” he said, describing the arrival as one of the largest single delegations to cross the Atlantic from Ghana.

Addressing the nurses, Joseph spoke of shared heritage and kinship, telling them they had “rejoined your family,” and thanked Ghana’s president for supporting the initiative. An official welcome ceremony is scheduled for Saturday.

The nurses have been contracted for three years and will complete a three-week orientation programme covering cultural integration, clinical alignment and role-specific training before deployment.

Health officials say the country needs about 400 nurses to operate effectively. With roughly 260 local nurses and 33 Cuban nurses currently in service, the addition of the Ghanaian contingent is expected to lift staffing slightly above the minimum operational threshold and improve the nurse-to-patient ratio, now estimated at 1:10.

The government cited positive experiences with Ghanaian nurses in other Caribbean countries, including Barbados and The Bahamas, as a key factor in the recruitment.