20% Nurses, midwives decline postings to rural areas

OVER 20 per cent of nurses and midwives decline postings to some parts of the country, particularly rural areas, the Ministry of Health has said.

It described the situation as worrying and said it had the potential to slow down the delivery of universal health coverage in the country.

“One thing that continues to bother us as a sector is the regular concern that many nurses and midwives do not want to accept postings to some parts of the country.

“This is a source of worry to us.

The kind of profession you have chosen is such that we must get to the barest minimum of places in our communities where your services are urgently needed,” the ministry added.

In a speech read on his behalf at the induction of newly qualified nurses and midwives in Accra, the Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, therefore, appealed to nurses and midwives to accept to serve in all parts of the country.

In all, 43,588 nurses, midwives and nurse assistants were inducted after passing the 2021 and August 2022 licensing examinations conducted by the Nurses and Midwifery Council (NMC).

Commendation

The minister commended health professionals for their pivotal role in the delivery of quality healthcare services in the country, despite some challenges they encountered in the discharge of their duties.

“Your work is critical and more demanding as you strive to take health care closer to the people.

“We must take up our postings to ensure that no one in need of nursing and midwifery services is left in order to achieve universal health coverage,” he said.

On migration of nurses from the country, the minister said it was a human right issue and that his outfit will not infringe on anybody’s desire to exercise that right.

Mr Agyeman-Manu, however, entreated the nurses to be more sympathetic towards the people they served by working to improve on their health, and gave an assurance that the government was committed to improving their working conditions.

Renewal

The acting Registrar of the NMC, Philomina Woolley, said in line with the public protection mandate of the council, all nurses and midwives had been issued with licences, renewable every year, to enable them to practise.

She said by law, it was a criminal offence for a nurse or midwife to practise without a valid licence issued by the council.

Ms Woolley, therefore, called on the inductees to observe the code and ethics of the profession while utilising more learning opportunities.

The President of the Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives, Prof. Victoria Bubunyo Bam, also said the success of the inductees depended on their ability to adapt to new situations, think critically and work in collaboration with colleagues.

“In addition to the practical skills you have learned during your training, you will need to develop a range of other competencies such as communication skills, empathy, cultural, ethical decision making and leadership,” she added. 

Writer’s email: doreen.andoh@graphic.com.gh