Mr Moses Robertson Anyigba, the Volta Regional Chairman, Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), has called for investment in the nursing and midwifery workforce to improve quality health care delivery.
He said nurses and midwives formed the bulk of the skilled healthcare workers and were the backbone and the heartbeat of any healthcare delivery system worldwide.
Targeted investment in nursing and midwifery, therefore, meant building a resilient and highly qualified workforce for a transformed health system to meet the needs of society, he said.
Mr Anyigba said this during the GRNMA’s 2022 Week Celebration at Hohoe in the Volta Region.
“Evidence has shown that highly qualified and skilled nurses and midwives are essential to ensuring quality care. Safe and quality care will not and cannot be possible without significant investment in the nursing and midwifery workforce,” he said.
Mr Anyigba said shortages in that workforce hindered quality care thereby threatening patients safety and wellbeing.
A study published in the Lancet in 2018 showed that 8.5 million deaths occurred in low and middle income countries, which were attributed to healthcare lapses.
Mr Anyigba said investing in the sector would accelerate progress towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG-3) and the attainment of the Universal Health Coverage.
Critical areas requiring investment include the service delivery value- chain, nursing and midwifery jobs and education, leadership and safe working environment.
Mr Daniel Noble Awume, the Hohoe Municipal Chief Executive, said the lack of working tools at the health facilities continued to be the bane of the country’s healthcare system.
He said despite the challenges nurses and midwives faced, they had kept faith with humanity and continued to work hard to provide the best services they could.
Mr Awume said the Assembly would continue to invest in the health sector to improve health service delivery in the Municipality.
He mentioned the construction of CHPS compound with accommodation for nurses at Gbi Kodzofe and Gbi Akplamafu, renovation of a health centre at Gbi Wegbe and support to the Municipal Health Directorate in rolling out vaccination and immunisation programmes as some of the interventions.
Togbe Keh XII, the Divisional Chief of Gbi-Wegbe, said the role of nurses and midwives in ensuring quality health for all could not be overemphasised, adding that their importance was always felt anytime they went on strike.
Mama Meemesio III, Divisional Queen of Gbi-Kledzo, called on members of the Association to strive to do their best in which ever capacity they were in.
She urged them to use the little resources at their disposal to achieve their goals and be decent in their dressing.
Madam Genevieve Ahafia emerged the Overall Best Nurse in the Hohoe Municipality and was presented with a citation.
The celebration was on the theme: “Nurses and Midwives: A Voice to Lead – Invest in Nursing and Respect Nurses’ Right to Secure Global Health.”
