Ghana’s healthcare at tipping point as nurses move abroad
Data from the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association indicates over 4,000 nurses and midwives left the country to seek better opportunities abroad in the past year.
Gifty Aryee, the head of the nursing department at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, told CGTN Africa most of those moving abroad are specialized nurses, including emergency caregivers and those in the intensive care units.
“I need 15 ICU nurses in a day. Now I have only five left and they have to put in more hours to keep the facilities running. But it doesn’t come with extra pay. If the nurses are exhausted, they make mistakes” he said.
Aryee expressed fears that the exodus could plunge the country’s health sector into a crisis.
It’s a situation at least one other African country faces. In Nigeria, reports show that more than 75,000 nurses left the country for jobs abroad in the last five years.
Ghana’s government appealed to health workers to stay in the country while it tries to improve their conditions of service.
