Inadequate logistics, staff shortages, poor conditions of service and the migration of experienced nurses are putting pressure on healthcare delivery, the Chairman of the Greater Accra Regional branch of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), Jefferson Asare Danquah, has said.
He said nurses in rural communities faced difficulties reaching patients in villages, farms and other hard-to-reach areas to provide essential services, including vaccinations.
Speaking in Accra last Thursday at a Nurses Forum to celebrate nurses and highlight challenges confronting the profession, Mr Danquah called on the government and the Ministry of
Health to increase funding for infrastructure, logistics, human resources, training and monitoring to strengthen the healthcare system and retain health professionals.
He said the country’s health expenditure as a proportion of gross domestic product (GDP) had declined from nine per cent to 2.9 per cent over the past decade.
“Where you put your investment is where you yield. I am pleading that the government should invest more,” he said.
He said increased investment was necessary to ensure that health facilities had the personnel and resources required to meet the needs of the population.
Mr Danquah said the Ghana Health Service required about 48,000 additional nurses to operate fully, while close to 5,000 nurses retired annually, further widening the staffing gap.
He said although between 10,000 and 15,000 nurses had previously been recruited annually, there was no active recruitment in 2025, while only about 6,500 were recruited in 2026.
He said the situation was worsening the workload of existing staff and increasing the risk of burnout, particularly as experienced and specialised nurses continued to leave the country.
“The most experienced ones, the emergency nurses, the critical care nurses, the perioperative nurses and the ophthalmic nurses are the ones travelling,” he said.
Mr Danquah explained that replacing specialised nurses was a lengthy process, requiring between 10 and 15 years of training to fill some of the gaps created by their departure.
He said the nurse-to-patient ratio was approximately one nurse to 18 patients, making it difficult for health professionals to provide quality care.
“If one person is taking care of 18 people, how do you talk about quality?” he said.
Nurses Forum
The Tobinco Media Group, in partnership with Entrance Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, organised the forum to recognise health workers whose dedication to serving communities went beyond their routine duties.
The forum also provided a platform for nurses to discuss issues affecting healthcare delivery, including inadequate logistics, staff shortages, poor conditions of service and the migration of experienced professionals.
Richard Beyanteng and Comfort Abire, the awards winners
As part of the initiative, the Executive Chairman of Tobinco Group of Companies, Samuel Amoh Tobbin, awarded two health workers serving in deprived communities for their dedication to healthcare delivery.
A Senior Midwifery Officer at the Osudoku Health Centre in Asutsuare, Comfort Abire, received a citation and a scholarship to further her education, while a Registered Community Health Nurse (RCN) Nursing Officer at Kutunse East in the Ga West Municipality, Richard Beyanteng, received a citation and a motorbike to support his work.
Own story platform
The Dean of the School of Nursing at Entrance Pharmaceutical and Health Sciences, Dr Justina Yevu Johnson, said the forum was conceived to give nurses a platform to tell their own stories and help the public understand the realities of their work.
She said discussions with her graduate students studying nursing and midwifery education had prompted her to consider a platform where issues affecting the profession could be discussed publicly.
“Nobody can tell our stories better than ourselves,” she said.
Dr Johnson said the forum would bring together students and serving and retired practitioners to share their experiences and discuss challenges encountered in providing care.
She said the awardees were selected for their commitment to providing health care in communities where access to services was challenging.
