Three nurses for 45 children at Ghana hospital
By the AFREEQUE newsroom, based on 3News
Bolgatanga’s Upper East Regional Hospital now has around 390 nurses, down from nearly 460, with three caregivers looking after about 45 children in the paediatric ward. Its management is calling for urgent recruitment, while the nurses’ union is to approach the government, reports 3News.
The paediatric ward at Upper East Regional Hospital in Bolgatanga has only three nurses for around 45 hospitalised children, nursing manager Ayoka said. Management has asked the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) to intervene with the government to speed up recruitment, according to 3News.
The hospital’s nursing staff has fallen from around 460 to 390, said its administrative manager, Samuel Azure Atuba, who described the situation as critical. The 265-bed facility receives patients from across the Upper East Region, neighbouring districts and Burkina Faso.
Ayoka linked the workload to cases of professional burnout and emotional distress. She also reported that some nurses did not return after their leave. GRNMA president Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo promised to approach the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service, while calling for stronger mental health support for healthcare workers.
An observation visit conducted in September by the Ghana News Agency had recorded 236 general nurses and 107 professional nurses at the facility, according to 3News. The shortage affects a hospital treating patients referred from several areas of the region.
