Ghana: Nurses’ Export Will Promote Skills Acquisition – Health Minister

The Minister of Health (MoH), Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, says the government’s quest to export nurses was means of controlling the high attrition among health professionals in the country.

He said, not only would the initiative regulate the migration of nurses to foreign countries but promote skills acquisition to benefit the health sector while raking in some economic value for Ghana.

“We want to use these bilateral agreement with countries like the UK as a window to regulate the migration of our nurses such that they would be attached to hospitals there, be well paid, gain higher skills and then come back after some years to serve our people.

The state would also benefit. Every one person that goes through that window 1,000 Pounds Sterling would be paid to the state and so we are working with the Employment and Labour Ministry to streamline the exercise,” he justified.

The minister made the statement while inaugurating a 13-member governing board of the Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives (GCNM) in Accra on Friday.

Chaired by Chief Executive Officer of Sharp Pharmaceuticals, George Abankwah-Yeboah, the board has the responsibility of supervising the advancement of specialist nursing in the country.

The Minister charged the board to see to the infusion of the healthcare system with lot of specialist nurses to promote delivery of care.

Mr Abankwah-Yeboah expressed his immense gratitude to the President and the Minister for giving them an opportunity to serve on the board.

He expressed the commitment of members to help in the training of more specialist nurses to meet the health needs of the population.

“The bedrock of the health sector are nurses and midwives and we assure the minister that, the board will do all it takes to ensure that quality healthcare delivery is promoted”.

Other members of the board include Madam Hannah Akua Oparebea Acquah, Dr Abigail A. Kyei, Dr Gloria Achempim-Ansong, Mrs Susuana Van-Brocke, Dr Baffour Awuah, Dr Nancy Innocentia Enyan, Mrs Philomena Nyarkoa Wooley, Mrs Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo, Mrs Netta Forson Ackon, Mrs Patience Adumua-Lartey, Mr Andrew Holyfield Tettey and Mr Timothy Kwegyir