In the past six years, the Pantang Hospital has seen nearly 150 experienced nurses and other health professionals leave the country in search of better opportunities.
The remaining 100 are general and specialized psychiatric nurses, while the remaining are doctors, pharmacists, technicians, and other knowledgeable members of the healthcare delivery chain.
The hospital's data showed that since the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic began, an alarming rise in the number of experienced professionals quitting their jobs has occurred.
This phenomenon is hindering the government's efforts to increase the hospital's workforce by recruiting an additional 179 employees (including 129 professional nurses) between 2018 and 2022.
According to the analysis of the data, the number of professionals quitting steadily increased from eight in 2018 to 26 in 2020 and 64 in 2022, respectively.
When 11 experienced professionals, including 10 nurses and a doctor, quit in January alone, the situation became even more troubling.
According to the data gathered by the Daily Graphic, the situation has been reported to the Ministry of Health (MoH) for resolution.
In an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra, the hospital's Medical Director, Dr. Frank Baning, stated that the situation was having a negative effect on the hospital's medical staff.
The majority of our seasoned nurses and other medical professionals are now departing. In point of fact, about ten people leave almost every month," he stated.
Dr. Baning explained that, despite the government's annual efforts to increase staff strength through new hires, the alarming rate of resignations required attention.
He said that the situation was putting a lot of pressure, stress, and burden on the few people who were still working for the hospital and the country as a whole.
Given the number of people who quit their jobs in the past two years, the Medical Director stated that this was already affecting the hospital's healthcare quality.
"We have seen the work of the public authority to build up the labor force however when newcomers are welcomed ready, the clinic loses a greater amount of the accomplished hands.
“We have lost 75 people in the past year and this year alone, so we hope that the government will quickly replace those leaving to ensure efficiency.
"We might see the pattern proceeding with this year as in excess of 10 expert attendants have proactively been accounted for to have left for greener fields this year," he said.
The Medical Director noted that the category of nurses leaving fell under the professional level. Professionals are leaving.
According to Dr. Baning, the hospital would require approximately 1,000 licensed practical nurses to provide both mental and general services.
However, he stated that the facility could only currently boast 286 nurses working with 1,000 individuals. The Pantang Hospital Medical Director stated, "264 is not even close to what we consider ideal."
He went on to say that the government's additional recruits were insufficient due to the vacuum created by the frequent departures.
We don't stay at one place to succeed but looking for opportunities is KEY 🔐
ReplyDeletePost a Comment