Naagyei 90.3 Fm Agyapa
Perpetual Ofori Ampofo, president of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), has voiced her alarm about the astonishing migration of Ghanaian nurses and the effects it is having on the healthcare industry.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express, Madam Ampofo emphasised the sizeable financial contributions made to the training of healthcare professionals by the Ghanaian government and tax payers.
She emphasised that the education gained by these professionals was heavily subsidised and that the Ghanaian people’s tax payments paid for their training. Consequently, the nation faces a serious difficulty as a result of the widespread departure of skilled nurses.
She told Ayisha Ibrahim on Wednesday, “We can’t sit back and let them all leave. It is not the best that we have our professionals who we have used taxpayer money to train, such that during their training, they did not pay full school fees; it was highly subsidised, and it was your tax and my tax that trained them.
Around 4,000 nurses moved to Western nations in 2022 alone to provide their skills abroad.
Due to these startling figures, the GRNMA President is calling for practical answers to the issue.
The engagement of employment agencies that aggressively seek out Ghanaian nurses and midwives was another major issue brought up by Madam Ampofo.
She further claimed that the government had been stealing these experts under the pretence that it was a decision made by them personally.
But ultimately, as a nation, we must assess the situation and determine if we can meet the precise SDG 3 objectives. Since you and I chose to live in Ghana, we deserve quality services, including health, education, transportation, and everything else. It is crucial that the government take these issues seriously. It appears that we won’t be able to achieve this by the year 2030.
She claims that the situation is serious and has far-reaching effects.
She hinted that the lack of healthcare workers has an impact on the overall development objectives as well as the standard of healthcare in Ghana.
“It is crucial that we address the problems and start putting practical solutions in place that will start to draw them here and keep them in this country. Because we train so many nurses, it shouldn’t be taken for granted when some of them leave.
No, she responded, “because the more they leave, the more it affects the healthcare system in terms of the safety and quality of services we can provide to the Ghanaian people.”
Teachers and nurses leaving the profession is a serious problem that Madam Ampofo feels needs to be addressed right away by the government and other relevant authorities.
Low salaries, inadequate infrastructure, postponed promotions, growing living expenses, and general financial hardship are some of the causes of the leaving. The GRNMA President is optimistic that things can improve with a strong-willed and committed government, though.
