https://en.sputniknews.africa/20230606/ghana-struggles-with-nursing-brain-drain-as-healthcare-professionals-flock-to-uk-1059741149.html
Ghana Struggles with Nursing 'Brain Drain', as Healthcare Professionals Flock to UK
Ghana Struggles with Nursing 'Brain Drain', as Healthcare Professionals Flock to UK
Sputnik Africa
A recent World Health Organization (WHO) report showed that at least 40 African countries, out of the continent's 55 nations, are currently facing severe... 06.06.2023, Sputnik Africa
2023-06-06T14:20+0200
2023-06-06T14:20+0200
2023-06-06T14:20+0200
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west africa
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The active recruitment of qualified nurses from Ghana by high-income countries like the United Kingdom is putting Ghana's healthcare system in peril, warn medical practitioners. Ghana's health system is suffering because of a "brain-drain" phenomenon caused by the migration of health workers to foreign countries such as the UK. Numerous high-qualified Ghanaian nurses have left their country in pursuit of better pay. According to British media, over 1,200 Ghanaian nurses joined the Britain's register last year. The UK's health service increasingly relies on staff from non-EU countries to fill vacancies, though the United Kingdom denies promoting active recruitment in Ghana. In March, the World Health Organization released its list of health worker support and protection needs for 2023, which shows that at least 40 African countries, out of the continent's 55 nations, are currently facing severe staff shortages in health care, with medical staff stretched thin and struggling to keep up with demand.Despite Ghana being on the UK government’s "red-list" of 47 countries, which was compiled by the World Health Organization’s 2023 list of health workforce support and safeguards, Ghanaian nurses aware of the vacancies available in the UK's National Health Service (NHS) and are reportedly applying directly, spurred on by Ghana's economic difficulties.Gifty Aryee, the director of nursing at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (GARH), revealed that in the last six months alone, the hospital has lost 20 ICU nurses to the United Kingdom and the United States, which has impacted patient care.One of the nurses at GARH pointed out that more than half of the medical specialists who graduated with her have left the country, adding that she also plans to follow suit.The situation is the same in the Cape Coast Municipal Hospital, where 22 nurses have left for the UK in the last year – all of whom were experienced critical care nurses. Even smaller clinics are not spared from healthcare-oriented staff migration, since one nurse leaving a small health center can significantly affect the level of care provided. The Ewim Health Clinic in Cape Coast, for instance, lost two experienced nurses to the UK's healthcare recruitment.Ghanaian medics believe that the country's national healthcare system is in dire need of a long-term solution to put the brakes on this troubling trend.
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west africa, ghana, health, healthcare, migration, brain-drain
Ghana Struggles with Nursing 'Brain Drain', as Healthcare Professionals Flock to UK
Muhammad Nooh Osman
Writer/Editor
A recent World Health Organization (WHO) report showed that at least 40 African countries, out of the continent's 55 nations, are currently facing severe health worker shortages, with medical staff stretched thin and struggling to keep up with demand for care.
The active recruitment of qualified nurses from Ghana by high-income countries like the United Kingdom is putting Ghana's healthcare system in peril, warn medical practitioners.
Ghana's
health system is suffering because of a "brain-drain" phenomenon caused by the migration of health workers to foreign countries such as the UK. Numerous high-qualified Ghanaian nurses have left their country in pursuit of better pay.
According to British media, over 1,200 Ghanaian nurses joined the Britain's register last year. The UK's health service increasingly relies on staff from non-EU countries to fill vacancies, though the United Kingdom denies promoting active recruitment in Ghana.
In March, the World Health Organization released its
list of health worker support and protection needs for 2023, which shows that at least 40 African countries, out of the continent's 55 nations, are currently facing severe staff shortages in health care, with medical staff stretched thin and struggling to keep up with demand.
"My sense is that the situation currently is out of control," Howard Catton from the International Council of Nurses (ICN) told British media. "We have intense recruitment taking place mainly driven by six or seven high-income countries but with recruitment from countries which are some of the weakest and most vulnerable which can ill-afford to lose their nurses."
Despite Ghana being on the UK government’s "red-list" of 47 countries, which was compiled by the World Health Organization’s 2023 list of health workforce support and safeguards, Ghanaian nurses aware of the vacancies available in the UK's National Health Service (NHS) and are reportedly applying directly, spurred on by Ghana's economic difficulties.
Gifty Aryee, the director of nursing at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (GARH), revealed that in the last six months alone, the hospital has lost 20 ICU nurses to the United Kingdom and the
United States, which has impacted patient care.
"Care is affected as we are not able to take any more patients. There are delays, and it costs more in mortality – patients die," Aryee said.
One of the nurses at GARH pointed out that more than half of the medical specialists who graduated with her have left the country, adding that she also plans to follow suit.
The situation is the same in the Cape Coast Municipal Hospital, where 22 nurses have left for the UK in the last year – all of whom were
experienced critical care nurses.
"All our critical care nurses, our experienced nurses, have gone. So we end up having nothing – no experienced staff to work with. Even if the government recruits, we have to go through the pain of training nurses again," the hospital's deputy head of nursing services, Caroline Agbodza, said.
Even smaller clinics are not spared from healthcare-oriented staff migration, since one nurse leaving a small health center can significantly affect the level of care provided. The Ewim Health Clinic in Cape Coast, for instance, lost two experienced nurses to the UK's
healthcare recruitment.
Ghanaian medics believe that the country's national healthcare system is in dire need of a long-term solution to put the brakes on this troubling trend.
