The President of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo has told immigration officers to stop intimidating nurses and midwives who are seeking to travel outside the shores of Ghana for greener pastures.
She revealed that some nurses are being requested to submit their proof of resignation before they are given immigration clearance to travel.
This, she said, amounts to intimidation which should stop because the nurses have the right to travel at any time and to anywhere in the world that they prefer to be.
Speaking in an interview with TV3 on Thursday, July 13, she said “If I have my passport, I have a visa and I have my ticket to travel and I am going through immigration, no immigration officer has any right to ask me of my resignation letter or any of such, it doesn’t work that way.
“People should not use any such means to intimidate our nurses and midwives who may be traveling, we are all Ghanaians and we all seek to live better lives. How I choose to do it is my decision.”
She however admitted that brain drain in the health sector is having a negative impact on healthcare delivery in Ghana.
She has therefore called for an urgent intervention to ensure that this matter is resolved.
She explained that experience nurses who would have been training newly-recruited nurses are the ones leaving the shores of Ghana to seek better working conditions elsewhere.
Madam Ofori-Ampofo indicated that the nurses want an environment that will help them in their career progression, further studies, and also better salaries and remunerations hence, their decision to travel outside the country to pursue these interests.
Madam Ofori-Ampofo said “Indeed, it is a worrying trend that we are all experiencing, our nurses are leaving the shores of Ghana and they are seeking to work in better work environments and earn better salaries.
“It is their right and we cannot stop them but the truth of the matter is that as much as they are leaving it is having a toll on health service delivery in Ghana.
“The truth is those that are leaving are those that are well experienced, with many years of experience. Even if we are going to recruit new personnel these are the very people who would have trained them, so their leaving is a big issue.”
She added “It is about time we really sit as stakeholders to discuss this matter thoroughly. From where we sit, we know that we cannot stop them because it is their right to migrate but it is about time we put in some innovation in terms of motivational packages that will really attract or help to retain them in the country.
“There are some nurses who for various reasons will never leave Ghana but the majority are still nurturing the idea of leaving the shores of Ghana, it is all because they want to have better opportunities for career progression, they want to pursue some academic venture, looking for higher salaries or better conditions of service.”