The President of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo, has revealed that close to 6,000 nurses and midwives have left the country for greener pastures from August 2023 to date.
Ofori-Ampofo said some of the nurses cited poor remuneration as one of the reasons to move to other jurisdictions with better conditions of service.
“We have been collating the numbers from August last year till date, about 6,000 nurses have left Ghana in search of greener pastures,” said Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo on Hot Issues yesterday [Sunday, March 31].
She further indicated that some nurses are compelled to work in mud houses. According to her, members refuse to accept postings to these rural areas.
“When we had to send student trainees to these rural areas, you would see firsthand the trouble people have to go through just to provide service or live in such areas, and it hasn’t changed over the years. It is still the same,” she told Keminni Amanor.
She further noted that the health sector needs more improvement in terms of infrastructural development than just drones for medical supplies.
She argued that health facilities should be equipped with all the necessary amenities to allow medical supplies to be kept at the facility rather than sent using drones.
“The health sector needs more improvement than just drones,” she said.
“We need to improve and ensure that the equipment we need and the medications we need are always available. The storage systems are available,” she said, stating that “if they were there and you had storage to ensure that you keep those medications at the right temperatures or the blood at the right [place]. Why would you need a drone to deliver it from somewhere else?” she quizzed.
Ofori-Ampofo further explained, “When you talk about the health system, it needs to be a more coordinated effort with all sectors. So, transport or road networks, housing, utilities. All those things, everything needs to work together for the good of the community in which Ghanaians are living.”
She stressed that the environment in which health facilities are built should be conducive for the health professionals who are stationed at those facilities.
“An environment where they [health professionals] can also bring their children to school there or their families there, and all of those things,” said the president.
Recently, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) increased the nurses’ license verification fee from GHS550 to GHS3,000, sparking agitations amongst health professionals
According to some of the nurses, this was an attempt by the Council to curtail the large number of nurses leaving the country.
Ofori-Ampofo noted that the NMC has been directed to hold on to the new fees following a March 26 meeting with stakeholders.
Read also:
She maintained that members can only pay a 25 percent increment from the previous fee as deliberations on the subject are ongoing.