Address concerns of nurses to reduce mass exodus

A preterm baby

Award winning neonatal health­care advocate, Madam NaaKuor­korMayne-Eghan, has passion­ately appealed to Ghanaian nurses travelling to Europe for greener pas­tures to reconsider their decisions.

According to her, it was important to seek improvement in one’s life but their action would also endanger the lives of the hundreds of patients they left behind, especially babies that needed the best of care.

Speaking with The Spectator, Naa Mayne-Eghan, who doubles as the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of Jay Foundation,mentioned the poor working conditions and low remuner­ation as reasons for the mass nurses’ migration.

“I wish these health professionals would ponder over the consequences of leaving the preterm babies and infants at the healthcare facilities in the hands of few professionals.

“These fragile babies require special attention and care at the hospitals. The presence of more healthcare workers will improve their chances ofsurvival at the neonatal in­tensive care units (NICUs),” she said.

She said the current situation if not addressed could lead to severe repercussions and increase infant mortality rate in the country.

Making reference to a Ghana Reg­istered Nurses and Midwives Associa­tion (GRNMA) reports, she said over 4,000 nurses left Ghana for Europe between January and July 2023.

To reduce the menace, Naa Mayne- Eghan appealed to government to provide the necessary incentives and tools for health workers to stay in the country.

“I’m appealing to the nurses and doctors to have sympathy and contin­ue taking care of preterm babies be­cause they are already facing harsh conditions,” she pleaded.

She said her organisation was com­mitted to working to refurbish NICUs in Ghana by providing the needed equipment and items to improve neonatal healthcare.

Naa Mayne-Eghan called for collab­oration in the provision of essential equipment for healthcare facilities to discharge their duties effectively to save lives.

By Alfred Ankrah