By Enock Akonnor enockakonnor2013@gmail.com
The Ashanti Regional Health Director has underlined unfair treatment of Ghanaian nurses by government as the reason majority of them keep surging out of Ghana.
Dr. Emmanuel Tinkorang told newsmen on the sidelines of this year’s Nurses and Midwives Week Celebration by GRNMA in Kumasi on Thursday, 30th May, 2024 that nurses will stay and serve the country if their condition of service is improved.
“If nursing is made attractive, people will not run away from this country. Why will people run away from a system that is attractive”.
He added that “what is keeping people in this country is commitment to build our country. As far as health care is concerned, you can’t match ours to any of these developed countries”
Referencing the collosal number of unemployed nurses presently in the country, the health Director lambasted critics who describe emigrate-nurses as unpatriotic.
“We have three batches of nurses ( years 2020, 2021 and 2022) that are supposed to be employed but are still sitting at home.
Our work in based on skills so the more you stay at home, the more you become rusty”, Dr. Tenkorang indicated.
“I get hurt when I see all these nurses staying at home. It’s very hurtful because we are doing ourselves a lot of disservice as a country because the more they stay at home, the more they loose their skills”.
Dr. Tinkorang premised his call on theme for the celebration, which was dubbed; “Investing in Nursing and Midwifery: A Vision for Resilient Health Systems Towards Attainment of Universal Health Coverage”.
Still in his statement, he called on government to find a way to recruit unemployed nurses to work for the country.
In his address, Philemon Adu Brempong-1st Vice Regional Chairman for Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA)-Ashanti chapter, also called pleaded for an increase in study leave quota by the Ministry of Health.
The foregoing according to him will help accelerate the process for certificate holders to upgrade to professional grades and for others to improve their skills and knowledge.
“This call by GRNMA is based on various studies. Hospitals with a higher proportion of nurses holding a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) has lower rates of patient morality and failure-to-rescue rates, shorter lengths of stay at hospital, improving better patient care outcomes. This our call will not only help build a resilient and robust healthcare system through investment in nurses and Midwives but will also improve the working conditions of certificate holders who are “poorly” remunerated”.
EVENT
The Ashanti regional members and executives of Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association used the occasion to celebrate to award best working nurses and midwives.
