The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has warned that brain drain in the health sector will persist until the conditions of service for healthcare workers are improved. Executive Secretary David Tenkorang told the Ghanaian Times in Accra that the situation could have a dire impact on healthcare delivery if urgent steps are not taken. His comments came after the UK government’s latest decision to blacklist healthcare and social workers from Ghana and 53 other countries.
In a revised code of practice for the international recruitment of health and social care personnel, published on the National Health Service (NHS) Employers website on 23 March, the UK said the move aims to promote the retention of “critical” workers in their home countries and help achieve universal health coverage (UHC). The statement noted that the listed countries have a UHC Service Coverage Index below 50 and a density of doctors, nurses and midwives below the global median of 48.6 per 10 000 population.
Mr Tenkorang pointed out that, although health professionals have long advocated for better conditions of service, little progress has been made, prompting many to seek greener pastures. “Those who are leaving are not recent graduates; they are experienced nurses and midwives with 10‑15 years left until retirement,” he said. “The government’s Agenda 111 will require these hospitals to be staffed by nurses and midwives. If we do not take drastic action, we will face a vacuum. The experienced staff who should mentor new recruits are leaving, and this will severely affect healthcare delivery.”
The UK previously took similar action against 46 countries, including Ghana, in 2021. The latest development arrives as Ghana experiences a high rate of brain drain in the health sector. Data from the GRNMA indicate that at least 3 000 nurses and midwives have left the country since the beginning of 2022. The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has also reported that a number of physicians and surgeons have emigrated. There are fears that hospitals and health centres will face severe understaffing within the next three to five years if the trend continues.
The World Health Organization projects a global shortage of 10 million health workers needed to achieve UHC in low and lower‑middle‑income countries by 2030, and has called on governments to invest in hiring and resourcing health workers. Other countries blacklisted by the UK include Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Gabon, The Gambia, Guinea, Guinea‑Bissau, Haiti, Kiribati, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Lesotho, Liberia, Madagascar, Malawi, Mali, Mauritania, the Federated States of Micronesia, Mozambique, Niger, Nigeria, Pakistan, Papua New Guinea, Rwanda, Samoa, Senegal, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, United Republic of Tanzania, Timor‑Leste, Togo, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, the Republic of Yemen, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
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