The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has cautioned against increasing figures of the nurse to patients ratio if government doesn’t revise service conditions of its members.
Although Ghana’s nurse to patient ratio stands at 1 nurse to 839 population exceeding the World Health Organization (WHO’s) recommended nurse to population ratio of one nurse to 1,000 population, the GRNMA fears there is looming huge deficit in the health professionals if drastic measures are not taken immediately.
The Association explains the situation is as a result of increasing mass movement of nurses and midwives from Ghana to abroad for higher income, better benefits and compensation packages.
Speaking on Akoma FM’s current affairs and political show GhanAkoma Thursday, July 7, 2022, Assistant Ashanti Regional Secretary for the GRNMA, Ebenezer Acquah explained that “the trend at which the nurses are leaving for greener pastures abroad is very alarming so it is about time the government do something about our condition of service else we all will leave the country and there will be empty hospitals”
The GRNMA laments that in just the first quarter of 2022, over three thousand of its members have flown abroad to seek for better working conditions and greener pastures because of the poor conditions here.
Mr Acquah further explained that the number keeps surging as thousands of nurses keep trying their luck to leave the country for Europe and America adding that “as it stands salaries for nurses are very low, for the past two years we haven’t adjusted our salaries meanwhile cost of living is on the rise so somehow we the executives understand the frustrations of our members hence their resort to travel and work abroad instead of staying in Ghana and work under harsh conditions.”
He further called on government to immediately address the issue of nurses service conditions to avert the a possible empty hospitals due to mass exodus of the health professionals.
By Nana Asenso Mensah|AkomaFM|Onuaonline.com|Ghana
