Effective Incentives can stop Brain Drain - Nyante

Tema, Sept 15, GNA -- Mr Felix Nyante, a Deputy Registrar at the Nurses and Midwives' Council of Ghana, has said the provision of effective incentives remained the most important way of retaining professionals in the country.

He said since the nation "loses not only these professionals, but also investment in their education and fiscal income, government must do everything possible to stem the tide of their migration." Speaking at a day's Seminar on "Women and International Migration in the Health Sector" at Tema on Thursday, Mr Nyante said even though brain drain was an ancient phenomenon it had assumed major proportions in recent times.

Organised by the Health Services Workers Union (HSWU) for about 40 of its members, the seminar was aimed at discussing brain drain within the health sector and how to find a workable solution to the problem. Mr Nyante said considering its adverse effects on health care delivery system, the migration of health professionals, especially nurses and midwives, remained a matter of grave concern to the government and the Nurses and Midwives' Council.

He said a study conducted by the Council titled: "Migration Trends of Ghanaian Nurses and Midwives - Impact of a Recent Policy Implementation" showed that between January 2002 and December 2005, a total of 3,126 nurses and midwives sought verification from the Council. The year 2003 recorded 923 cases, being the highest number of verification. It dropped to 786 the following year, while in 2002 it stood at 731. Last year, 686 nurses and midwives sought verification from the Council.

Mr Nyante said of the 3,126 applications received by the Council, 2,219 were destined for the United Kingdom, while 688 applicants headed for the United States.

Some 106 applicants required validation for Canada, while the rest opted for Australia, Germany, Republic of Ireland, Italy, Mexico and New Zealand, in addition to five African countries namely, the Gambia, Nigeria, Namibia, South Africa and Zimbabwe. Mr Nyante said the council was committed to ensuring that nurses and midwives complied with national rules and regulations that governed the profession.

Mr Kwesi Asabir, Acting Deputy Director of the Human for Health Development at the Ministry of Health, said a US Department of State report estimated that by 2015, the United States nurse shortage might rise to 500,000 while that of the United Kingdom by 2008 would be 35,000.

Australia may need 31,000 nurses by 2011 with Canada requiring as many as 113,000 by 2011.

The figures, Mr Asabir said, posed greater challenges to governments of developing nations.

Mr John Gameli Akoto, General Secretary of HSWU, was of the view that since the ordinary taxpayer's money was used to train health professionals, the Ministry of Health should enact a policy so that beneficiary countries contributed to the training of health workers.