Develop strategy to export Ghanaian nurses – Lecturer to gov’t

A Public health lecturer at the University of West London, College of Nursing and Midwifery, Dr. Da Costa Aboagye has urged government to immediately develop a strategic arrangement to export nurses officially to countries where their services are needed.

According to Dr. Aboagye, Ghana could make some foreign exchange from such exports.

Dr. Aboagye explained that such nurses could also improve the economic fortunes of their families through their remittances adding that it would also reduce the unemployment rate in Ghana.

His suggestion comes on the back of persistent protest staged by some nurses in the country in damnd of postings.

A group calling itself the coalition of registered nurses and midwives picketed at the Health Ministry on Monday to demand financial clearance from government.

According to the nurses, they have been unemployed for over a year despite completion of their academic studies and mandatory rotation.

Dr. Aboagye told Citi News that there is currently shortage of nurses in industrialized nations due to increased demand for healthcare.

He cited the National Health Service in United Kingdom's warning of inadequate nurse staffing levels across the United Kingdom and a call by UK ministers to recruit such service providers from oversees through comprehensive programmes.

“The Philippine government has a formal arrangement with the United Kingdom to export nurses. Other countries like Cuba have similar arrangements with some governments of developed and developing countries to export nurses. Ghana can thus learn from how these countries have succeeded in exporting nurses to countries like the United Kingdom , the United States, Norway, Australia and Ireland, who are currently in despite need of nurses due to the huge demand for healthcare,” he added.

Figures from the Ministry of Health suggests that Ghana as at 2014 had about 40,859 nurses across the country.

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By: citifmonline.com/Ghana