By Frank Kwame Abbor
Ho, Oct. 02, GNA – The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), Volta Regional Branch, has called for increased recruitment of nurses and improved working conditions to sustain the proposed Free Primary Healthcare programme.
The Association said the programme would increase patient attendance at health facilities and place additional pressure on nurses, particularly those working at the primary healthcare level, unless adequate personnel, logistics and infrastructure were provided.
The call was made during the launch of the Association’s week-long celebration in Ho on Wednesday, September 30, 2026, under the theme, “Our Nurses, Our Future: Empowered Nurses Save Lives.”
Dr Oliver Commey, the Director of Infectious Diseases, at Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Accra, said nurses were central to the success of the Free Primary Healthcare programme and must be adequately supported to deliver quality services.
“When we say things are free, people will troop to various facilities. The nurse is already overwhelmed when it is not free. When it is free, they become doubly overwhelmed,” he said.
He said the programme must be accompanied by increased recruitment and the provision of essential resources to enable nurses to manage the expected rise in patient numbers.
“The care is still there. It is only a healthcare worker that can give that care. So, when we say that the programme should carry the nurses, that is exactly what we mean,” he said.
Dr Commey acknowledged concerns surrounding the implementation of the programme but expressed confidence that government would address the challenges and work towards providing the required personnel and resources.
Mr Courage Kwame-Kumah, the Volta Regional Chairman of the GRNMA, said declining motivation among nurses and midwives was linked not only to remuneration but also to poor conditions of service, inadequate working materials and unfavourable working environments.
He said the introduction of free primary healthcare would increase the workload of nurses at the peripheral facilities, raising concerns about whether the necessary resources would be available to sustain quality care.
Mr Kwame-Kumah said inadequate accommodation, deteriorating hospital infrastructure and unsuitable equipment, including non-adjustable beds, also affected the welfare and occupational health of nurses.
He said persistent challenges in the health sector were contributing to the increasing desire among nurses to seek employment abroad.
“Basically, your first instinct is to leave this country,” he said, stressing that improving working conditions, providing essential equipment and ensuring decent accommodation could help reduce the exodus of nurses and midwives.
He urged government and relevant stakeholders to adopt concrete measures to address the concerns rather than allowing the same challenges to persist year after year.
The GRNMA celebration seeks to recognise the contribution of nurses and midwives while drawing attention to the support systems required to strengthen healthcare delivery and protect the welfare of practitioners.
GNA
Edited by Maxwell Awumah/Benjamin Mensah