The National Chairman of the Nurses Educators Group (NEG), Mr. Mathew Backmam Adamu, has issued a stark warning that nurses in Ghana are grappling with such intense grievances that, if not urgently addressed, the nation’s healthcare system could face a catastrophic shortage of nurses in the near future.
Mr. Adamu disclosed that Ghanaian nurses, particularly nurse educators, have long been overlooked by successive governments, resulting in a brain drain within the nursing industry and a notable lack of motivation among its members.
Highlighting the dire situation, he stressed that numerous nurses are departing from the country due to demotivation and a sense that authorities are giving mere lip service to the significance and concerns of nurses.
These revelations were unveiled during the 8th Biennial Delegates and Scientific Conference of the Nurse Educator’s Group, held at the Pentecost Convention Center in the Millennium City of Gomoa Fetteh in the Central Region on August 22, 2023.
The Nurse Educators Group comprises professionals dedicated to educating and training aspiring nurses, shepherding them to become accomplished healthcare professionals.
Their biennial conferences serve as platforms to address pertinent matters affecting the nursing education sector.
Mr Adamu lamented the shortage of well-equipped skills laboratories in many nursing schools, a crucial element in nurturing competent nursing professionals, and he emphasized how this deficiency dampens the nurses’ enthusiasm.
Furthermore, Mr. Adamu criticised the absence of incentives, such as vehicle and housing provisions, which are extended to other professionals of similar importance.
He advocated book and research allowances for members to improve their working conditions.
He also urged the implementation of a roadmap to elevate their institutions to tertiary status, aligning with a larger government plan.
Moreover, Mr. Adamu asserted that the group’s teachers should be included as representatives on the Advisory Board and requested that a portion of the funds generated from the sale of application forms be allocated to the institutions to support their operations.
The group expressed dissatisfaction with the current conditions for examiners and underscored the need for their concerns to be addressed by November 2023, or they might resort to more drastic measures.
Miss Anita Love Obo Amissah, representing the Central Regional Minister, conveyed the importance of incorporating modern technology into training practices to meet the demands of contemporary nursing.
She promised to convey the group’s grievances to the relevant authorities for prompt attention and resolution.
