In 2025, Mahama-led government, through its foreign minister, Mr. Samuel Okudzeto Abrakwah has been making series of announcement, regarding bilateral agreements with other nations to export Ghana-trained nurses abroad to work. The immediate past administration undertook similar program at some point. As a nurse who complains about low wages in Ghana, this is certainly a welcoming news.
However, looking beneath the surface, something fundamental is not right with such government sponsored initiative. This programme, if carried out by the state, could only exacerbate the already weak healthcare system available to citizens.
In fact, as indicated in my headline, it’s an indirect state sponsored attack on the wellbeing of Ghanaians as far as human resource is concerned.
The problem that emanates from nurses leaving has nothing to do with shortage of nurses back at home in Ghana. The country has been, let me say ‘overproducing’ nurses to the point that every government since the late 2000s, struggles to offer them employment and it is worst in recent times.
Here lies the bait; some argue that, if there are too many nurses in the country, it’s right if sections are sent abroad to mitigate unemployment issue and to rake in foreign remittance.
Danger posed by health workers leaving the country comes from heavy disproportionate discrepancies in salary/wages between diaspora Ghanaian nurse and those working in the country.
How?
Nurses in the country witness on weekly or monthly basis their own colleagues travel abroad and they continue to maintain contact with one another. In their interactions, they discuss what it is like to be a nurse in Ghana and in places like the UK, Europe or America.
The nurse in Ghana does not need to be told that living condition of colleagues abroad is far better than his/hers, back home. He sees for himself how once struggling colleagues transform ‘beautifully’ within a space of just 6 to 12 months.
The diaspora colleague could now afford 5-bed-room apartment in Ghana within a year and half of working. He or she is able to get through other family members to travel abroad.
Within a year of travel, the diaspora nurse returns home and no longer walks about or take public transport, he/she drives in decent, new car.
In short, the diaspora nurse, in a matter of months, looks relaxed and motivated. There you have the nurse working in Ghana, looking on demoralized and lives a life of constant financial struggle.
It’s more difficult for him or her to put a decent 3-square meal on the table for just 3-family unit; let alone, starts thinking about owning 2-bed room apartment.
This is the source of danger confronting the Ghanaian healthcare system-demoralized and economically squeezed healthcare providers in the country.
As already indicated, majority of nurses have only one source of hope-an opportunity to work abroad. They take desperate measures to make it happen; most have succeeded and a lot more are hopeful.
“Are you a fool?”
Today, as a nurse, when people see you around, they literally wonder if you are a fool to still be in the system and not join colleagues abroad. This is a sad and dangerous reality.
Why Dangerous?
Nurses are humans, they have emotion which is expected to be professionally managed in discharge of duty. More importantly, they work on and with fellow humans and not machines. This place them a step higher to exhibit consistent emotional intelligence and good human relations.
So, if they are pushed into little corner of emotional and economic dryness due to unfair, low wages, they have extra hurdle to deal with when discharging professional duty. As already indicated in my book titled; “BERNAJIS HEALTH AND SOCIAL DIARY”, those who are not very, very tactful tend to put up gross unprofessional conducts.
In the final analysis, how nurses are treated in terms of wages is a serious risk in the Ghanaian healthcare system and something ought to be done about it substantially.
The solution does not lie in producing more nurses and neither in exporting them abroad. As espoused above in this write-up, that forms part of real source of the threat.
There are more nurses in Ghana and yet, nurses are one of the most vilified groups of workers by the Ghanaian public and this is associated with unprofessional conducts-perceived or real.
solution
The solution is simple; everyone knows it and it will cost the nation a few more millions of cedis. But it is a necessity. The government must improve the living condition of nurses in Ghana by increasing their wages. As it stands now, what they earn can be described “starvation wages” especially for those with a family-wives and children.
The government can still go ahead and export nurses abroad for better working conditions, however, they must ensure those left behind to work are somehow treated fairly.
It should be noted, however that, this issue of health workers going abroad is not new. It reached an alarming level from 2019, partly due to Covid 19. What’s new now is the attempt of the state to join in the active exportation.
The danger posed by this effort has been with us for some time now and due to its subtle nature, not many people easily connect the dots. Sadly enough, the government too seems not to understand this threat and it is planning to fuel it the more.
Great inputs… a good reflection to be made and the right steps to be taken
This piece has brought more illumination to the struggling Ghanaian nurse who’s efforts aren’t recognised by the state actors. The earlier we rise up to address this looming danger of attrition of skilled workers the better. And this must be done with an Eagle eye looking at the condition of service of this workers to motivate them to work to save lives. Travelling abroad to better one’s life is inevitable but the state should be interested in making life easier for the workers. Thank you for exposition.