An Open Letter to Ghana’s Nurses and Midwifery Council

A copy of the Letter From the Nurses and Midwifery Council of Ghana

The Nurses and Midwifery Council has issued a communiqué to graduates of top-up and post-basic Degree Nursing and Midwifery programs across all Ghanaian universities. However, upon reading that letter, one thing is painfully clear: this is not policy—this is a failure of leadership.

This directive comes after these young people have already completed their studies and are waiting to take their licensing examinations in less than three weeks—only to be told, with cold finality, that they will not be registered to sit for the exams. Why? Simply because they could not fulfill a requirement of working for three years after training.

Yet, there are thousands of nursing and midwifery graduates who have been unemployed since 2022. Ask them—was it their fault that no one employed them? Why punish the very ones who have been abandoned by the system? Why expect a new graduate to leave school and remain idle for years, watching their skills rust and their hope fade? And why, in heaven's name, should it be considered an offense for a young person to seek further education while waiting for a job that never arrives?

This is not mere bureaucracy. This is injustice at its highest, most callous level. The leadership of the NMC must be scrutinized—not with polite whispers, but with the full glare of public accountability.

Instead of digitizing licensing and renewal processes—so that nurses don’t have to travel physically, spend scarce money, and waste days just for a stamp—the Council chooses to cling to outdated systems. Instead of easing the path, they lay obstacles in the way. How does this nation expect its youth to love this country when those entrusted with their well-being only add more stress?

Many experienced nurses and young graduates remain silent today—not because they agree, but because they fear victimization. Some have even paid for international clearances, hoping to further their education or find work abroad. Despite payment, they were never cleared. Opportunities were lost. Funds were not refunded. Dreams were shattered.

Why must those in leadership always turn the ordinary Ghanaian’s life into a treacherous obstacle course? What do they gain from breaking the spirits of the very people who will one day care for our sick, deliver our babies, and save our lives?

This is not the Ghana we want for ourselves and our children. And for this, I refuse to stay silent.