The National President of the Union of Professional Nurses and Midwives, Ghana (UPNMG), Mr Maxwell Oduro Yeboah, has urged the government to take decisive steps to address the increasing migration of nurses and midwives in search of better conditions of service abroad.
He said the continued exodus of trained health professionals was negatively affecting the quality of healthcare delivery in the country.
According to Mr Yeboah, the government had largely remained unconcerned as nurses and midwives left Ghana to contribute to healthcare systems in Europe and other parts of the world, while local hospitals struggled with inadequate staff.
He made these remarks yesterday at the close of a one-day conference of the Volta Regional branch of the UPNMG at Sokode-Lokoe, near Ho.
The conference, attended by about 400 nurses and midwives, was on the theme: “Forging a healthy employer-employee relationship for optimum productivity and job satisfaction — A Shared Responsibility.”
Mr Yeboah stressed the need for the government to honour agreements aimed at improving the conditions of service of nurses and midwives, noting that this would help build trust.
He said nurses and midwives would be encouraged to stay in the country if they were treated with respect and fairly compensated.
“Job satisfaction should not be seen as a favour to nurses and midwives. It depends on how Ghana retains and motivates them to stay and work,” he said.
He also called on nurses and midwives to remain committed to their duties and uphold high standards of professionalism.
“Our biggest weapon is not strict action; our biggest weapon is excellence,” he added.
The Chief Nursing and Midwifery Officer (CNMO) of the Volta Region, Ms Faustina Asare, said although the Regional Health Directorate continued to advocate improved staffing, better working conditions and adequate resources, nurses and midwives must demonstrate professionalism, teamwork, accountability and compassion in patient care.
She disclosed that the Volta Region had a total of 5,604 nurses, midwives and community health nurses who had consistently contributed to quality healthcare delivery over the years.
Ms Asare, however, identified staff shortages, inadequate infrastructure and limited logistics as major challenges confronting healthcare delivery in the region.
In a speech read on his behalf, the Volta Regional Minister, Mr James Gunu, commended nurses and midwives for their dedication and service to the people of the region.
For his part, the Volta Regional President of the UPNMG, Mr Famous Agbenyefia Attipoe, called for improved workplace relations to enhance productivity, stressing that transfers should not be used as a form of punishment.
FROM SAMUEL AGBEWODE, SOKODE-LOKOE
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