Replace nurses, midwives who have migrated abroad- Prof Bam

By Christabel Oboshie ANNAN, Central Region  

The President of the Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives, Professor Victoria Bam has appealed to government and the Ministry of Health to fill the vacant positions of nurses and midwives who have migrated from the country.

This, according to her, will help lessen the burdens of nurses and midwives at post in the various health facilities in the country.

“You work so much that you get so stressed out then your efficiency is questioned.

“We therefore appeal to government to fill the vacancies of those who have migrated” she stressed.

Prof. Bam urged government to bring on other nurses and midwives at home to also gain more experiences and manage the cases in the various health facilities in the country.

She stated that this will improved the nurse to patient ratio in the country.

Prof. Bam said this at the 8th Annual General Meeting (AGM) and the 4th Scientific Conference of the Ghana College of nurses and midwives (GCNM) at Gomoa in the Central Region.

She noted that Universal Health Coverage (UHC) requires that everyone has access to essential health care and one of the things that makes people have access to health care is health personnel.

The Professor, who doubles as the Associate Professor of Nursing at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) added that as health personnel they expect government to improve the conditions of service of health personnel.

She explained that improving the conditions of services is not just about the salary but also empowering health personnel to address the educational and health care needs of their families.

In relation to health facilities, she noted that there are inadequate resources for health professionals to work with and that government should resource facilities with materials, equipment and human resources.

The Former Registrar at the Nurses and Midwives Council, Rev. Veronica Darko, said that the journey toward Universal Health Coverage demands innovation, creativity, and a steadfast commitment to improve the lives of people throughout the world.

She stated that the world finds itself at a critical juncture, where the fusion of technology, compassion, and strategic interventions can pave the way for a healthier and more equitable future for all.

The Former Registrar added that the pursuit of universal health coverage cannot be a prototypical activity but rather a call for highly effective and creative intervention that are adapted to the problems each nation faces.

She indicated that to achieve universal health coverage, five key innovative and high-impact strategies are essential in actualising UHC.

These she identified as Leveraging Technology for Accessible Healthcare, Strengthening Primary Healthcare Systems, Financial Innovations and Risk Pooling, Addressing Social Determinants of Health, and Research and Data-Driven Decision-making.

A representative of the Minister for Health, Dr. Baffour Awuah challenged the leadership of GCNM to set up an academic journal that will suit the publication and Innovation of the college.

He said that the journal can be a tool for marketing the college as well as its products.

He assured the leadership of the College of government’s support to the growth and development of the College.

“We will continue to create the needed enabling environment for the college to thrive as well as to recognize Specialists trained from the college” he added.