Divine Kporha declared Best Nurse
A nursing officer at the Ketu South Municipal Hospital in the Volta Region, Divine Kporha, has been crowned the 2023 National Best Nurse /Midwife by the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA).
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For his prize, Mr Kporha took home a brand-new Nissan Almera saloon car.
He was honoured for making a significant impact at the Ketu South Municipal Hospital and the region at large by providing safe drinking water for a community in the region.
Mr Kporha also constructed a 10-seater water closet lavatory for persons who have suffered leprosy and also helped solve open defecation in the community, as well as constructing a neonatal intensive care unit (NICU).
The facilities were provided from his own resources, with the support of others.
His commitment to enhancing neonatal care has also led to securing 42,000 Australian dollars from the Australian High Commission through a Mental Health and Wellbeing Foundation to construct the neonatal intensive care unit.
The award was conferred on him at the fourth annual National Dinner and Awards Night by the GRNMA in Accra last Friday.
In an interview, Mr Kporha said he embarked on the journey in 2016 as a student nurse, saying: “I have always believed in the spirit of volunteerism so I have invested my time, money and requisite skills in writing proposals to get this far.”
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He said the award was an encouragement for him to continue to do more to contribute towards the nursing and midwifery profession positively, as well as serve as a role model for the entire fraternity.
Other awardees
About 40 nurses and midwives from across the country were recognised for their contribution to healthcare delivery at their respective health facilities.
A Senior Midwife in the Greater Accra Region, Kate Otoo, from the Pentecost Hospital, Madina, was the first runner-up and the Best Midwife in the region.
She received GH¢40,000.
An Oncology Nurse Specialist in the Northern Region, Evelyn Osei Amoah, from the Tamale Teaching Hospital, was the second runner-up. She also received the Best Northern Region Nurse Award and an amount of GH¢30,000.
Others were Seshimey David Komi Edzornu, Eastern Region; Felicia Nkrumah, Upper East Region; Cecilia Opoku, Ashanti Region; Abdullah Abubakar, Brong Ahafo Region; Mary Asantewaa, Western Region; Joyce Mawuena Appaw, Central Region, and Sidique Navei, Upper West Region.
The GRNMA Best Guest House and Hotel awards were won by the Central Region, while the Ashanti and Northern regions were first and second runners-up respectively.
For the Special Awards, Abdul Salam Mohammed, received the Perpetual Ofori Ampofo Motivation Impact Award, while Charity Asantewaa Acheampong was offered Dr Mary Opare Preceptorship Award.
Commendation
The President of the GRNMA, Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo, congratulated the awardees on their contribution to the health sector and advised them to continue to perform their duties diligently.
To those who did not win, she urged them not to be disheartened but to continue to strive for excellence.
The Chief Labour Officer, Dawuda Ibrahim Braimah, said the selfless service and commitment of nurses and midwives to serve the country during challenging times were commendable and inspiring.
“Your professionalism does not only bring comfort to the suffering and hope to the hopeless but also instils immeasurable trust and courage during the most difficult moments in the lives of all sundry,” he added.
Improvement of working conditions
The Akwamuhene and Paramount Chief of Akwamu State, Odeneho Kwafo Akoto III, called on the government to improve the working conditions of nurses and midwives.
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He said investing in them had become necessary, especially in the era of the COVID-19 pandemic, including future pandemics and the increasing incidence of non-communicable diseases such as hypertension and diabetes.