Accra: Mr. Apandago Mahamadu Musah, the President of the Union of Professional Nurses and Midwives Ghana (UPNMG) in the Upper East Region, has called for a national conversation on the welfare and protection of nurses and midwives. He argued that healthcare workers deserved more comprehensive support systems beyond funeral assistance and colleague-led fundraising efforts.
According to Ghana News Agency, Mr. Musah highlighted the inadequate institutional support available to healthcare professionals when they face serious illness, disability, or death while serving the nation. He questioned why the burden of support often falls on labor unions, colleagues, and emergency fundraising efforts when nurses and midwives are sick, incapacitated, or die in the line of duty.
He further questioned the role of the Ghana Health Service in safeguarding the welfare of healthcare workers, emphasizing the need for structured welfare support. Mr. Musah pointed out that nurses and midwives continue to work under challenging conditions, including staff shortages, long working hours, occupational hazards, and emotional stress, yet many feel neglected when they require support.
Mr. Musah criticized the reliance on 'silver collection' as the primary means of supporting sick healthcare workers and bereaved families, advocating for a comprehensive institutional welfare system. He stressed that healthcare workers diagnosed with critical illnesses, injured in the course of duty, permanently disabled, or those who lost their lives while serving the country deserve structured welfare support.
He expressed concern over the unequal treatment of nurses and midwives, noting that they face intense criticism and media scrutiny in cases of alleged medical negligence but receive little recognition or advocacy for workplace challenges or occupational injuries. He argued for institutional recognition that extends beyond funeral provisions, calling for support mechanisms that include occupational health protection, critical illness assistance, mental health services, legal protection, death and survivor benefits, and comprehensive welfare schemes.
Mr. Musah called on the Ghana Health Service, policymakers, professional associations, labor unions, and other stakeholders to engage in a sustained national dialogue on healthcare worker welfare. He emphasized the critical role nurses and midwives play in Ghana's healthcare system and the nation's responsibility to support them meaningfully.