By Morkporkpor Anku
Accra, June 27, GNA – The Public Services International (PSI) has launched the “Supporting Health and Care Workers for Climate Resilience in Ghana” Project in Accra.
The Project is to enhance the resilience and well-being of health and care workers in Ghana by addressing the impacts of climate change on their working conditions and capacity to deliver care.
Through improved health and safety measures, capacity building, and policy advocacy, the project aims to equip these workers with the resources, skills, and platforms needed to effectively manage climate-induced health challenges.
It will ultimately strengthen the health and care system to better respond to climate-induced health impacts while safeguarding the safety, health, and rights of those on the frontlines of care.
Madam Aisha Buhadur, Union Development Officer at PSI was speaking at a two-day workshop for members of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) and the Health Services Workers’ Union (HSWU)of TUC Ghana.
The project supported by Fundación Avina had three goals including improving occupational health and safety (OHS) conditions for health and care workers, especially in response to climate-related hazards.
She said it was to build the capacity of unions and their members to understand and address the impacts of climate change on care work through the ABL approach.
“It is to influence climate and health policies, so they reflect the experiences, needs, and proposals of frontline care workers,” she said.
She said the project responded to the urgent need to tackle the impact of climate change, which was already affecting frontline health and care workers in Ghana.
She said the project would address increased care demands and promote decent working conditions within transitions.
The project would also directly engage health and care workers to understand their challenges, build their capacity, and advocate for systemic improvements.
The project contributes to reducing vulnerability to climate change by strengthening the capacity of health and care workers to respond to climate-induced illnesses and emergencies.
This includes advocacy support for climate-responsive healthcare practices and local resilience-building efforts.
“The project indirectly supports sustainable transitions by drawing attention to healthcare infrastructure needs and workforce readiness in the face of climate impacts,” she added.
Madam Buhadur said sustainability had been built into the approach in this proposal by investing in the skills and knowledge of health and care workers to ensure a cadre within the unions are equipped to understand evolving climate challenges.
She said it was also to contribute to broader community adaptation efforts and strengthen local health and care systems for resilience by empowering health and care workers.
Dr. Isaac Bampoe Addo, Chair of PSI’s National Coordinating Committee in Ghana, said, “the launch of the Climate and Care project through action-based learning is a defining moment for our nation’s healthcare sector.”
He urged unions to push for climate clauses in future Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs).
Mr Bampoe Addo praised the partnership between Health Services Workers Union (HSWU) and Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) and called on both unions to take the campaign from action to collective bargaining.
Madam Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo, GRNMA President, said, “frontline workers cannot bear the climate burden alone, they must be part of the plan, and they must shape the policies.”
She said flooding, heatwaves and rising temperatures had brought chaos into hospitals, homes, and communities, adding that care workers were exhausted.
Meanwhile, clinics are underequipped, and their conditions of service are not met but they still work and serve citizens.
She said the launch and training were the first activities that marked the start of this participatory and learning of the project.
In the coming months, the project would enhance the resilience and wellbeing of health and care workers in Ghana by rolling out Action Base Learning sessions in priority districts, forming joint health and safety committees, gathering data on climate-related care burdens, and bringing that evidence into collective bargaining and national advocacy forums.
This would enable GRNMA and HSWU to engage employers and the state to meet their policy obligations.
GNA
Christian Akorlie