'All our experienced nurses don go' -Ghana medics dey worry sake of UK migration

Di recruitment of nurses by high-income kontris from poorer nations don dey "out of control", according to di head of one of di world biggest nursing groups.

Di comments dey come as di BBC find evidence of how Ghana health system dey struggle due to di "brain-drain".

Many specialist nurses don comot di West African kontri for better paid jobs overseas.

For 2022, na ova 1,200 Ghanaian nurses join di UK nursing register.

Dis dey come as di National Health Service (NHS) dey increasingly dey rely on staff from non-EU kontris to fill vacancies.

Although di UK say dem no dey allow active recruitment for Ghana social media, mean say nurses fit easily see di vacancies wey dey available for NHS trusts. Dem fit come apply for those jobs directly. Ghana dire economic situation dey act as big push factor.

Howard Catton from di International Council of Nurses (ICN) dey worry about di scale of di numbers wey dey comot from kontris like Ghana.

"My sense be say di situation currently dey out of control," im tell di BBC.

"We get intense recruitment wey dey take place mainly from six or seven high-income kontris but wit recruitment from kontris wey be some of di weakest and most vulnerable wey no fit ill-afford to lose dia nurses."

Di head of nursing for Greater Accra Regional Hospital, Gifty Aryee, tell di BBC say her Intensive Care Unit alone don lose 20 nurses to di UK and US for di last six months - wit grave implications.

"Care don dey affected as we no fit take any more patients. Delays dey and e cost more for mortality - patients die," she tok.

She add say dem dey hold seriously ill patients longer for di emergency department sake of di nursing shortages.

One nurse for di hospital estimate say half of those she bin graduate wit don comot di kontri - and she wan join dem.

Ghana patients dey danger as nurses head for NHS in UK - medics

Di BBC find one similar situation for Cape Coast Municipal Hospital.

Di hospital deputy head of nursing services, Caroline Agbodza, say she don see 22 nurses leave for di UK for di last year.

"All our critical care nurses, our experienced nurses, don go. So we end up wit nothing - no experienced staff to work wit. Even if di goment employ pipo, we have to go through di pain of training nurses again."

Smaller clinics also dey affected by staff migration because even if one nurse comot from one small health centre e fit get big knock-on effect.

For Ewim Health Clinic for Cape Coast, one nurse don comot dia small emergency department and anoda don leave di outpatients unit. Both nurses dey experienced and dem don find jobs for di UK.

Di chief doctor wey dey dia, Dr Justice Arthur, say di effects plenty.

"Make we take services like immunisation of children. If we lose public health nurses, den di babies dem go need immunise no go get dia immunisation and babies go die," im tell di BBC.

E tok say adult patients go also die if dem no get enof nurses to look afta dem afta surgery.

Most of di nurses wey di BBC team speak to wan comot Ghana sake of di fact say dem fit earn more money elsewia.

For Kwaso healthcare centre near di city of Kumasi, Mercy Asare Afriyie explain say she dey hope to find job for di UK soon.

"Di exodus of nurses no go stop sake of our poor conditions of service. Our salary na nothing to write home about and in two weeks you spend am. Na from hand to mouth."

Ghanaian nurses tell di BBC say for di UK dem dey get more dan seven times wetin dem dey collect for Ghana.

Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo from Ghana Nurses and Midwives Association say her kontri healthcare system need more help.

"If you look di numbers, den e no dey ethical for di UK to recruit from Ghana becos di numbers of professional nurses compared to trainee or auxiliary nurses na problem for us," she tok.

But she add say e no dey possible to stop nurses from leaving as migration na right and say di Ghanaian goment need to do more to persuade dem to stay. Di health ministry for di capital, Accra, no gree comment.