Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association participates in launch of the 2021 World Patient Safety Day

The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) joined other affiliates of PSI across the world to mark the 2021 World Patient Safety Day (WPSD) earlier in September.

In Ghana, the Association joined the Ghana Health Service, the largest employing agency in a three-day conference which was climaxed with the launch of the WPSD.

The conference took place at Labadi Beach Hotel from 15th to 17th of September 2021 under the WPSD 2021 theme: “No safety, No coverage - safe maternal and newborn care now.”

The climax of the conference was on 17 September, the day set aside specifically as the WPSD since 2019. The Chief Director of the Ministry of Health (MOH) who represented the Hon. Minister of Health, saluted the Ghana Health Service and its staff for their consistency in working to ensure safe maternal and newborn care in Ghana.

The President of GRNMA, Mrs. Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo in her address reiterated that, patients are safest in the hands of highly skilled health professionals especially nurses and midwives, who spend more time directly with patients. She emphasized the need to improve nursing and midwifery practice through higher education by increasing the quota for post-basic nursing and midwifery programs as well as the Specialist programs at the Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives (GCNM). She further called for the support and recognition the Specialist at the clinical area.

She added that, there was the need to halt the training of the auxiliary grade nurses and rather increase and improve the training of professional nurses and midwives in the country.

Finally, Mrs Perpertual Ofori-Ampofo on behalf of the GRNMA national council announced the decision by the Union to bear the cost of the renewal of the professional and auxiliary licenses for its members with effect from January 2022. She emphasized that, the decision was premised on creating the enabling environment for GRNMA to practice legally in Ghana.

She applauded the GHS for a successful conference and appealed to all stakeholders to engage further and ensure the implementation of the recommendations from the three-day conference.