An Assistant Public Relations Officer (PRO) for the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has backed the Health Minister, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh’s announcement that the government is contemplating reducing admissions to health training institutions.
The move aims to tackle existing employment backlogs in the health sector—a step the Association views as moving in the right direction.
Mr. Philimon Gyapong stated that this policy shift aligns with what the Association has consistently campaigned for, noting that the process of regularizing the number of trainees is long overdue.
Speaking in an interview on Nyankonton Mu Nsem.on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, he highlighted that the GRNMA has repeatedly proposed transforming nursing and midwifery training institutions into degree-awarding entities.
He lamented the oversaturation of nursing training schools across the country, arguing that many faculty members in these institutions lack the required competencies and standards for lecturing.
“We continue to see nursing training schools in almost every community. Even some of the faculty members lack the standard in terms of the competencies needed to train the nurses up to the standard required.”
He also raised concerns over severe overcrowding, pointing out that schools often exceed their intended capacities, which directly undermines the quality of education and subsequent patient care.
“Sometimes these schools are to admit 100 but will admit 200 or 300. When that occurs, it undermines the quality of training given the trainees, and that also affects the quality of care or services provided by the trained professionals.”
Mr. Gyapong revealed that over 60,000 qualified nurses remain at home awaiting postings, even as vacancies persist in various hospitals. Concurrently, the sector faces a shortage of highly specialized personnel in critical areas like ENT (Ear, Nose, and Throat) and critical care.
“Our skilled trained staff are limited. All those numbers are in shortage. We have made several appeals to the government to train more critical nurses and other skilled trained nurses. If we can provide them with the accreditation to pursue these courses, it would be crucial.”
Comparing public and private institutions, he argued that while admission requirements for public schools remain highly competitive, the entry barriers for private schools are too low.
This disparity leads to mass admissions in the private sector that compromise professional standards upon graduation.
“So the step taken by the government is in the right direction. It is long overdue. They have to regularize training. But most importantly, after they cut the training, we have to increase the training in specialised areas.”
To address the backlog of unposted nurses, Mr. Gyapong suggested expanding export opportunities, proposing a structured system where international migration is integrated into post-training career pathways.
“So instead of waiting for years to be posted after training, we can attach them to facilities to work and earn allowances, and when the request for nurses comes from other countries, we will deploy some of these nurses instead of sending the limited skilled or specialised nurses we have in our facilities.”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
