The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has urged the government to issue the necessary financial clearance to deploy qualified health professionals who are currently waiting for placement.
Speaking on Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, the National Public Relations Officer of the GRNMA, Mr. Joseph Kramph, highlighted the Association’s growing concern over nurses and midwives who fall victim to unlicensed agencies promising jobs abroad. He noted that over 80,000 nurses and midwives are currently awaiting posting. Clearing this backlog while improving conditions of service would ease pressure on Ghana’s health system and help curb the irregular migration of skilled personnel.
The Association warned that reliance on illegal recruitment agents leaves Ghanaian health professionals vulnerable to exploitation, abuse, and unfair treatment overseas. Mr. Kramph described the situation as deeply troubling, noting that several nurses arrive abroad only to be forced into cleaning and domestic labor instead of the nursing roles they were promised.
To prevent such outcomes, he urged healthcare workers planning to travel to consult the Association to verify an agency’s authenticity before making commitments.
“There are currently 80,000 trained nurses and midwives at home who have not been posted, so when they hear about these opportunities to travel abroad for work, they are in a hurry to apply without verifying whether the agencies advertising these jobs are registered or licensed. Aside from them, we have those who are already working in the system who want better opportunities, so they also join, but they don’t check whether these agencies are registered. As an Association, we have a list of registered and licensed agencies that recruit nurses and midwives, so we encourage members to always check with us so they will not be stranded when they travel outside Ghana.”
He emphasized that the Association does not intend to block anyone from seeking better prospects abroad, but stressed the necessity of proper verification and background checks.
“A lot of the nurses leave without informing us. It is important for them to inform us so that we can check if these agencies are authentic and follow up if challenges arise. We have several nurses and midwives who have traveled outside Ghana with the hope of securing better jobs but are now struggling. We are currently working to find ways we can help bring them back home.”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana