The Rector of the Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives (GCNM), Dr Gloria Achempim-Ansong, has called for increased investment in specialist nursing and midwifery training and infrastructure to build a resilient health workforce capable of responding to Ghana’s growing healthcare needs.
She said the increasing number of nurses and midwives seeking specialist training required the expansion of the college’s infrastructure and other resources to accommodate the growing demand.
Dr Achempim-Ansong made the call at the opening of the 11th Annual General Meeting (AGM) and the sixth Seminar of the GCNM at the Pentecost Convention Centre at Gomoa Fetteh in the Central Region yesterday.
The event was held on the theme: “Building a Resilient Nursing and Midwifery Workforce to Improve Health Outcomes.”
She appealed to the Ministry of Health, the college’s parent organisation, as well as local and international partners, to provide financial support to enable the college to translate its infrastructure development plans into physical structures.
Growing demand
Dr Achempim-Ansong said the college had expanded its programmes and training opportunities to respond to the growing demand for specialist healthcare professionals.
“We have a lot of plans for the expansion of our infrastructure to accommodate the increasing number of applicants,” she said.
She, therefore, urged the Ministry of Health and development partners to support the college financially to enable it to expand its infrastructure and improve access to specialist education.
The President of the GCNM, Prof. Victoria Bubunyo Bam, said the college currently offered seven associate membership programmes, 24 membership programmes and nine fellowship programmes, with 1,413 residents as of August 2026.
Prof. Bam said admissions for the 2026/27 academic year resulted in 712 first-year membership residents and 240 associate membership residents.
She said the college had trained more than 1,014 membership residents, 11 fellowship residents and 789 associate membership residents since its establishment.
Review staffing norms
The keynote speaker, the Director of Nursing and Midwifery at the Ghana Health Service, Dr Eva Mensah, stressed the need to strengthen the conditions under which nurses and midwives work.
She said resilience should not be viewed as the ability of health professionals to simply endure difficult working conditions.
Dr Mensah said true resilience required adequate staffing, equipment, effective leadership and institutional support to enable nurses and midwives to provide safe and quality care.
She called for a review of Ghana’s staffing norms to make provision for specialist nurses and midwives at all levels of health care.
She said the existing staffing norms, established in 2014, did not adequately cater for specialist nursing and midwifery positions.
Changing health needs
Representing the Minister of Health, the Chief Programme Officer and Director of Allied Health at the Ministry of Health, Dr Ignatius Abowini Awinibuno, said Ghana’s changing disease burden made specialist nursing and midwifery expertise increasingly important.
He said the rising burden of non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, stroke, diabetes and cancer, alongside emerging infectious diseases, required a health workforce with specialised skills.
Induction and awards
The AGM also featured the induction of 94 associate members, 273 members and 22 elected fellows into the college.
The inductees were drawn from training sites in Accra, Kumasi and Tamale.
Faculty chairs who served between 2021 and 2025 were also honoured for their contribution to the development of the college.
Awards were presented to outstanding residents. Lawren Adu Mensah was adjudged the Best Associate Resident from the Paediatric Nursing Faculty, while Belinda Yayera Tepoh received the Best Membership Resident Award from the Infectious Disease Faculty, with Diana Abongo emerging as the Best Midwifery Resident and Belinda Emelia Andoh receiving the Best Oncology Nurse Award.
