Dr Kofi Amo-Kodieh, the Bono Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service, is deeply concerned about the shortage of health personnel in the country. He has made a passionate plea to the government and other stakeholders to urgently post unemployed nurses to help fill this gap and ensure that quality healthcare services are provided to the community.
The region has been experiencing a significant number of nurses leaving the country in search of better opportunities due to lack of employment. Dr Amo-Kodieh revealed that a total of 163 nurses have departed in 2023 alone, leaving the health system strained and in desperate need of additional personnel.
While the departure of doctors from the region is not as significant as that of nurses, Dr Amo-Kodieh emphasized the importance of posting nurses who have completed their education and practical experience, as well as those who have finished their national service. He believes that by employing these nurses quickly, the health service will not be adversely affected by the shortage of personnel.
Dr Amo-Kodieh expressed his concern, stating, “The nurses are leaving as you said, the doctors are leaving also but not so much as the nurses. As we talk now, for just 2023, we lost 163 nurses to greener pastures, they just left to access greener pastures. That does not count what we lost in 2022, and from January to now, what we’ve lost is just the 2023 figure I’m talking about. And we know also that there are three or four sets of nurses in their homes, not employed yet, therefore when we get them on board, then the service will not be affected at all. So we urge the government to quickly employ nurses who have finished their education, who have finished their practical experiences, or finished what they call national service in some cases. Then the government should be proactive enough and push them into the system for us to have the equity that we need.”
It is evident that urgent action is needed to address the shortage of health personnel in the country, and the government must take immediate steps to ensure that unemployed nurses are posted to fill this crucial gap.
