The Union of Professional Nurses and Midwives, Ghana (UPNMG) has lauded the level of professionalism of Ghanaian nurses and midwives.

In an interview with Blessed Sogah on The Pulse on the JoyNews channel, the president of the union, Maxwell Oduro Yeboah, said the western countries place a high premium on the nurses and midwives because of the high level of professionalism and hard work the nurses and midwives exhibit in the country’s health facilities.

He discounted claims that it is as a result of cheap labour which is why the west comes for the health professionals from Ghana.

“It [the exodus of nurses] has nothing to do with cheap labour; Ghanaian nurses are hardworking and very professional,” Mr. Yeboah stated.

Mr. Yeboah continued: “If you visit our wards, the sort of professionalism you see from trained nurses is exceptional, so when they travel abroad, the kind of services they put up are superb.”

“Even if you go online, most of the time when they are giving criteria for selection, they say they want West African nurses, specifically, Ghanaian nurses. It means we are doing something exceptional.”

Explaining why Ghanaian nurses and midwives are sometimes not highly appreciated back home, Mr. Yeboah indicated that inadequate resources and a lack of better service conditions are the major factors preventing some nurses from giving their best.

He, however, insists that despite the inconveniences, most of them put their shoulders to the wheel

The president of the Union of Professional Nurses and Midwives, Ghana, also expressed concerns about the poor conditions of service of Ghanaian nurses and midwives, indicating that if they are not addressed, in the long run, it will lead to a situation where the country’s specialists will be lost to the west.

To improve upon the level of professionalism of Ghanaian nurses and midwives, Mr. Yeboah is recommending that the UPNMG provide Continuing Professional Development (CPD), scholarships, and loans to their members who wish to further their education.

Mr. Yeboah further explained that the UPNMG only seeks to improve the conditions of service / welfare of Ghanaian nurses and midwives and that the group is not in any kind of competition with the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA).