Mrs Akosua Frema Osei-Opare, the Chief of Staff, has officially launched the 2023 International Nurses Day (IND) celebration with a call on nurses and midwives to always provide quality care to patients.
International Nurses Day is celebrated annually on May 12 around the world to mark the contributions nurses make to society. It is also the anniversary of Florence Nightingale’s birth, the founder of modern nursing.
The event, organised by the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), was on the global theme: “Our Nurses Our Future”.
However, the Association adopted a local theme: “Our Nurses and Midwives, Our Future”, to commemorate the day in the country.
Mrs Osei-Opare said the work of a nurse and midwife required intelligence, commitment, a caring attitude, compassion, and courage.
She commended nurses for the frontline role they played in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic and assured them that their challenges had been noted and would be channeled to the appropriate quarters for redress.
Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Menu, the Minister of Health, in a speech read on his behalf by Alhaji Hafiz Adam, the Chief Director, urged nurses and midwives to improve their patient care experiences through evidence-based and home-grown interventions.
He said that was of great concern as the Ministry continued to receive lawsuits due to medical errors of some healthcare workers.
“As nurses, we must leverage technology to improve our skills and apply it to health care delivery,” he stated.
The Minister expressed worry over the continuous migration of experienced nurses and midwives into high-income countries for greener pastures.
He said though a global phenomenon, the government was committed to engaging stakeholders to identify interventions to retain the nursing and midwifery workforce and stem the tide as a matter of urgency.
He said the Ministry had rolled out several initiatives in support of nurses and midwives through the implementation of a five-year Nursing and Midwifery strategic plan 2019-2023 as well as the implementation of a professional mentorship programme.
Mr Agyeman-Manu said the future of the nurse’s profession must be linked to the culture of research and evidence-based practice in health facilities to provide the impetus for knowledge and midwifery excellence.
He assured that the government would continue to provide the policy framework and urged the leadership of the nursing and midwifery fraternity to work together in the spirit of mutual respect.
Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, the Director General of the Ghana Health Service, in a speech read on his behalf by Mrs Eva Mensah, the Director of Nursing and Midwifery Service, spoke on the challenges that confronted the Association in the wake of the pandemic.
He urged the GRNMA to set standards to maintain excellence and commitment to duty and play the critical role of identifying potential leaders to develop a critical mass of empowered nurses for the profession.
Mrs Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo, the President of GRNMA, called on the Government to restrategise and increase training by stopping the ancillary programmes for nurses and midwives to end the exodus of nurses leaving the country.
She said that was necessary as a tracking system put in place indicated that, close to nine thousand nurses and midwives between January and early May had sought clearance with the Secretariat to enable them to leave the country for greener pastures
The launch is expected to be done across the country as part of the year-long celebration and would be climaxed with an awards ceremony on December 15, 2023.
