Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has assured healthcare professionals that no nurse or midwife recruited in the previous year will face dismissal.
His reassurance comes amid rising concerns over job security within Ghana’s healthcare sector.
Chief of Staff Julius Debrah has announced the revocation of all public service appointments and recruitments made after December 7, 2024, following the general elections. The directive is expected to impact individuals appointed to various public sector roles during that period.
Speaking at the inaugural African Nurses and Midwives Confederation conference in Accra, themed “African Nurses and Midwives, Fostering Health for All in Africa,” the minister reaffirmed the government’s dedication to strengthening the nursing and midwifery workforce, acknowledging their pivotal role in delivering quality healthcare services.
The conference aimed to enhance leadership skills among African nursing leaders while fostering collaboration to share best practices and elevate healthcare standards across the continent.
Amid growing health challenges—including outbreaks of Cerebrospinal Meningitis in the northern belt and Cholera cases in parts of the Central Region—Mr. Akandoh emphasized the need for a well-equipped and well-supported health workforce.
He also highlighted the upcoming State of the World’s Nursing Report by the World Health Organization, scheduled for release on May 12, 2025. The report is expected to offer valuable insights into the global nursing workforce, covering areas such as education, employment, migration, and leadership to help shape informed healthcare policies.
Addressing the growing trend of Ghanaian nurses migrating to countries in the Global North, the minister outlined measures to curb the exodus. These include efforts to stabilize the economy, improve employment opportunities, and offer better incentives for healthcare professionals, especially in underserved regions.
Additionally, Ghana is negotiating bilateral agreements with nations such as the UK, USA, Barbados, and Kuwait to manage migration effectively while safeguarding the country’s healthcare capacity.
The minister reiterated the government’s commitment to expanding the healthcare workforce to meet Universal Health Coverage (UHC) goals and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
International participants at the conference were encouraged to immerse themselves in Ghana’s rich cultural heritage while engaging in meaningful discussions aimed at shaping the future of healthcare across Africa.
A 2023 brilliant but needy Senior High School (SHS) graduate, Smakato Miranda Bakata, has called on Ghanaians for financial assistance in order to further her tertiary education.
Smakato Miranda Bakata an alumni of Okuapeman SHS aims to be a nurse, however, she lacks the wherewithal to bring her dreams and aspirations to fruition.
In a passionate plea, Ghanaian blogger, Zion Felix called on the public to assist the SHS graduate to help get her back to school.
A post shared by the blogger read “Please let’s help her.. she needs to continue her education. We cant let her dream cut short with all these grades. Her number is on the pic”.
The blogger’s post was accompanied by Smakato Miranda Bakata’s West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) results.
Persons who would like to extend a helping hand to Smakato Miranda Bakata should call 0534666560.
Heather Pressdee, who is 41 years old, has been sentenced to spend the rest of her life in prison, and an additional 380 to 760 years. The sentencing took place in Butler, which is about 48 kilometers north of Pittsburgh. She caused the deaths of 17 patients in five different health facilities from 2020 to 2023, according to prosecutors.
The 22 people who were hurt or killed were between 43 and 104 years old. Pressdee’s coworkers often asked about how she behaved and said she often showed dislike for her patients and made disrespectful comments about them, authorities said.
Pressdee, who could have been sentenced to death, admitted to being guilty of three counts of first-degree murder and 19 counts of attempted murder. In May 2023, she was accused of killing two nursing home patients and hurting another. More looking into what happened showed that she is facing many more accusations. In February, she talked to her lawyers and said she wanted to admit she was guilty.
The plea hearing was supposed to go on until Friday because many people wanted to talk about the impact the crime had on them, officials said. Some people in court on Thursday said to Pressdee that she was wrong to act like God. They said that even though some of the people she hurt were old or very sick, none of them wanted to die.
Pressdee ignored the speakers and didn’t respond to their comments, even when one of them said a bad word that made people in the courtroom clap.
Another person said in court: “She is not ill. ” She is not crazy. She is very evil. Please rewrite this text using simpler words. “I saw Satan’s face when she killed my dad in the morning. ”
Prosecutors said that Pressdee from Harrison gave too much insulin to 22 patients, even some who didn’t have diabetes. She usually gave insulin during the night when there were fewer staff and emergencies did not require immediate hospital care. Many patients died shortly after getting the insulin, or later on.
She wasn’t allowed to work as a nurse early last year because of some legal problems.
Court papers show that Pressdee sent messages to her mom from April 2022 to May 2023 talking about being unhappy with her patients and coworkers, and mentioning the possibility of hurting them. She also said she had the same problems with people she met at restaurants and other places.
Pressdee has a record of being in trouble for being mean to patients and/or staff at every job. This led to her either quitting or getting fired, according to prosecutors. Starting in 2018, Pressdee worked at a few nursing homes and facilities in western Pennsylvania for a short time, according to the records.
Other people who work in healthcare have been found guilty of causing the death of patients. One of them is William Davis, a nurse from Texas. He was found guilty of killing four patients by injecting air into their arteries after they had heart surgery. He was found guilty and given the death penalty, but he is now trying to prove that he is not guilty. Another nurse named Charles Cullen murdered at least 29 nursing home patients in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. Some experts think he may have killed even more people.
Netizens are expressing outrage and calling for consequences after a Nigerian nurse shared a video on TikTok of the unconscious wife of late actor Junior Pope following his tragic demise.
The nurse’s video quickly went viral, showing the actor’s widow in the hospital and disclosing that she was unconscious due to the shock of her husband’s death.
The video sparked a wave of criticism from Nigerians, with many condemning the nurse for sharing such a sensitive clip online. Comments flooded social media, with some netizens even calling for the nurse to lose her job over the incident.
The tragic passing of Junior Pope, who lost his life in a boat accident while en route to a movie shoot on Wednesday, April 10, 2024, has left Nollywood in mourning.
Filmmaker Sam Olatunji shared the heartbreaking news, revealing that Junior Pope, along with three others, lost their lives in the accident.
Junior Pope, also known as Pope Dikeh, is survived by his wife and three children. His untimely death has left a void in the Nigerian entertainment industry, with fans and colleagues mourning the loss of a talented actor.
A British student nurse tragically died in Ghana after going for a midnight swim with friends while on a placement.
Millie Ann Gentry, 19, from Cleckheaton, West Yorkshire, was two weeks into a one month volunteer programme in the west African country when she drowned.
The tragedy happened on March 17 last year but the details have now been made public with the teen’s inquest opening this week.
Gentry was staying with Erin Byrnes, from Halifax, in Busua – a beach resort town in southern Ghana.
The coroners’ court heard that the two friends had decided to go for a late night dip with their friend Lewis Mallinson after drinking at the beach bar.
They defied a 10.30pm curfew to nip out for a swim at half past midnight but encountered strong waves.
“I laid on my back, screaming for help. I was so close to giving up,” she said.
After returning to the beach, both she and Mr. Mallinson managed to summon assistance in the search for Ms. Gentry. Despite their efforts, her body was discovered four hours later.
Mallinson recounted that numerous nearby villages rallied together to aid in the rescue mission. A subsequent post-mortem examination revealed that she had sustained a head injury.
According to The Mirror, Ms. Gentry had a boyfriend named Elvis, and her placement in Ghana was described as the “trip of a lifetime” for her.
Busia Beach resort in Ghana
A Crowdfunding page has now been set up to support the Gentry family.
A statement on the site reads: “Mims was a beloved member of the Gomersal Primary School community as well as daughter to one of our much loved colleagues and friends.
“As a past pupil Millie will be remembered as a bright, smiley and caring individual.
“She was studying to be a children’s nurse at Bradford University and participating in a volunteer program in Ghana.
“She will be sorely missed and lovingly remembered by all who knew her.”
The page, at the time of writing, had raised more than £4,000.
A Ghanaian woman has leveled accusations against a nurse at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, alleging that the nurse caused the death of her grandmother out of sheer vindictiveness following a relative’s perceived disrespect toward the nurse.
In a viral video circulating on social media, the woman can be heard expressing her anguish over the alleged demise of her grandmother.
She asserted that a nurse at Korle-Bu was responsible for her grandmother’s death as a form of retribution for her aunt’s purported rudeness toward the nurse.
In the video, she voiced concerns about safety in Ghana and demanded accountability for the nurse’s actions.
“Why would you talk to a nurse anyhow. She is a human being too. Learn to be polite at all times and especially when you need help. Respect is reciprocal. Shame on u all🙄🙄🙄” one netizen said.
Another opined: “Korle bu. Hmm. Had my thyroidectomy done there in 2017 and I can tell for a fact that most of the nurses are very rude and unprofessional. The night shift nurses won’t even mind you when you’re asking for help during the night,”
The initial fee for foreign verification for nurses and midwives, set at GHC550, has been raised to GHC3,000, marking a staggering 445.45% increment.
This development has alarmed the National Council of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) which has announced plans to protest against the recent significant increase in the cost of verification fees for nurses.
Efforts to persuade Parliament, Health Ministry and the Nurses and Midwives Council to reconsider the fee hike have been unsuccessful, according to the Association.
As a result, the nursing leadership has scheduled a series of actions from March 22 to April 3, 2024, to express their dissatisfaction with the new fees.
Starting from March 22 to 27, nurses and midwives across the country will wear red bands on their departments and wards while also wearing head and armbands in protest.
A major press conference is scheduled for March 27, 2024, followed by the withdrawal of outpatient department services from March 28 to April 2, 2024.
If their demands are not met, the health workers intend to escalate their actions by fully withdrawing all services, including in-patient care, on April 3, 2024.
The group, led by National President Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo, stated that despite writing letters to the health ministry and the nurses and midwives council to reconsider the fee hike, they have not received any acknowledgment.
The Council says they can only contain a maximum of 25% increment on the previous cost given the current economic difficulties.
“We wish to reiterate that, considering the current economic challenges and the fact that our salaries are not the best, nurses and midwives of Ghana can only contain a maximum of 25% increment which in our view can be borne by all grades of nurses and midwives,” the statement read.
The council entreated the nurses and midwives to oblige with the directive as it is a civic right.
“All nurses and midwives are expected to fully participate in the above-stated actions because it is their right to do so and therefore under no circumstance should they be threatened or coerced,” the statement said.
Upon passing the Council’s licensing examination, a Nurse Assistant, Nurse or Midwife is required to go through the following procedure to be registered to practice legally in the country:
Go to the Council’s Regional Office (the Region in which your institution of training is located).
Present your Results Slip (Letter from the Council indicating that you have passed the licensing examination). You will be required to complete a Registration Form and pay a non-refundable Registration Fee.
You will be issued with:
A log book for rotation.
Provisional License and Code for National Service registration.
After completing the Rotation/National Service, you would be required to return the Log Book and Provisional License to the Regional Office where you registered and await your PIN and Certificate of Registration.
The Council issues Professional Identification Numbers (PIN) to Nurses and Midwives upon completion of the Registration process. Nurse Assistants are also issued with Auxiliary Identification Number (AIN) after registration.
Registration of Foreign-Trained Nurses and Midwives (Permanent):
Foreign-trained Nurse Assistants, Nurses and Midwives who wish to practice in the country would be required to pass a Licensing Examination and satisfy other requirements before they are registered.
Requirements: 1. Transcript of training 2. Three (3) passport-sized photographs 3. A copy of Birth Certificate 4. Photocopies of Professional Certificates (original copy to be presented for inspection) 5. Marriage certificate where applicable 6. Two (2) testimonials from previous/current employers where you have practiced for at least one year 7. Copy of last appointment letter 8. Verification of registration from the original Council/Board. 9. Copy of certificate of proficiency in English from approved school of languages. Upon fulfilling all eligibility requirements, applicants are required to sit for a written examination. The fee for the examination is …..? The amount is subject to review from time to time. The examination is organized twice a year that is, June and December.
After the written examination successful candidates will: 1. Complete Registration Forms and pay a fee of $ 125 or its Ghana cedi equivalent to the Council. 2. Undergo a three- month practical orientation programme in a Teaching, Regional or any hospital accredited by the Council. 3. Be registered to practice based on satisfactory performance during the practical orientation programme. A provisional license for newly qualified foreign trained Nurses and Midwives would attract a fee of $ 125 or its Ghana cedi equivalent.
NB: Documents which are in Languages other than English should be translated into English with a copy of the document in the original language attached to it.
In a tragic turn of events on Thursday morning, a nurse in his 40s, affiliated with Bimbilla Hospital, lost his life in a collision involving a Kia Renault.
The unfortunate incident occurred as the deceased was returning from his night shift.
Eyewitnesses recounted that a Benz bus, traveling in the wrong direction, forced the Kia Renault to swerve, resulting in the fatal accident.
Abdulai Yaqoub, the Nanumba North Municipal Chief Executive, confirmed the incidents to Citi News.
The police have taken the nurse’s body to the hospital morgue, and the drivers involved have been apprehended, currently in police custody.
In a contradictory statement, the driver of the Benz bus refuted the incident, asserting that he had already passed the scene before the collision occurred.
In the Pramso suburb of Sweduru, Bosomtwe District, a 26-year-old nurse, Comfort Oppong, became the victim of a brutal stabbing by her ex-boyfriend, Kwasi Asuman, following a heated fight.
Asuman inflicted machete wounds on Oppong’s abdomen and arms, leading to significant blood loss. Promptly, she was rushed to the hospital by concerned neighbors.
The assailant, in a desperate act, attempted suicide and is currently fighting for his life, receiving treatment at the emergency unit of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.
Vincent Kofi Frimpong, the victim’s father, recounted that he had instructed Mr. Asuman to leave his daughter’s residence, but the ex-boyfriend insisted on staying, culminating in the tragic and violent altercation.
“My daughter said he followed her everywhere she went. While on the phone with her, I could hear her screaming.
“I came to meet her at the emergency to see that she had been stabbed in the abdomen with a deep cut on her thighs.”
Comfort Oppong has since been discharged from the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.
In the Pramso suburb of Sweduru, Bosomtwe District, a 26-year-old nurse, Comfort Oppong, became the victim of a brutal stabbing by her ex-boyfriend, Kwasi Asuman, following a heated fight.
Asuman inflicted machete wounds on Oppong’s abdomen and arms, leading to significant blood loss. Promptly, she was rushed to the hospital by concerned neighbors.
The assailant, in a desperate act, attempted suicide and is currently fighting for his life, receiving treatment at the emergency unit of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.
Vincent Kofi Frimpong, the victim’s father, recounted that he had instructed Mr. Asuman to leave his daughter’s residence, but the ex-boyfriend insisted on staying, culminating in the tragic and violent altercation.
The chiefs and residents of the Ketu South Municipality have honored Divine Kporha, recognized as the 2023 National Best Nurse and Midwife.
Acknowledged for his volunteerism and philanthropy, Kporha’s efforts notably improved neonatal health services at the Ketu South Hospital.
Over the past four years, he dedicated himself to various humanitarian projects, including the construction of a neonatal intensive care unit, providing potable water for communities, and enhancing sanitation in specific areas.
His contributions earned him the 2023 District Best Nurse/Midwife, 2023 Regional Best Nurse/Midwife, and the ultimate 2023 National Best Nurse/Midwife awards.
The recognition included a Nissan Ameri Saloon car, an undisclosed sum of money, and a citation.
Mr. Kporha said, “I was granted 42,000 Australian Dollars to establish a well-equipped neonatal intensive care unit that will include modern technologies that support neonates’ health. As a young nurse, I have dedicated myself to community service and volunteerism, and the association that I belong to identified that and decided to honor me with a brand-new car and some other awards.”
“And I want to say a very big thank you to the GRNMA and all the nurses and midwives across Ghana. This can only be the doing of the Lord and I can only do more for my people and my community”, he said.
During a tour of the Volta Region, Divine Kporha was celebrated for his unwavering commitment to serving humanity, and he received accolades for achieving such a remarkable feat within the initial four years of his nursing career.
Dr. Kwasi Asare-Bediako, the Chief Executive Officer of Kings Hand Hospital, who played a pivotal role in Mr. Kporha’s development, praised him as a diligent and dedicated individual who consistently delivers tasks with perfection.
Togbui Adzongaga Amenya Fiti V, the Paramount Chief of the Aflao Traditional Area, acknowledged Mr. Kporha’s potential and advised him to stay dedicated to his nursing profession.
He also recognized the significant contribution of Mr. Asare-Bediako to Mr. Kporha’s nursing journey and encouraged others to build networks that would bring merit and positive impact to their lives.
“After identifying his potential, I told him to concentrate on his career and quit politics. You have to build a career first, then politics will reward you. But if you don’t have a career, politics will sink you”, he said.
Mr. Kporha was honored by the Aflao Traditional Council with a Kente cloth, recognizing his exemplary lifestyle and dedicated service as a nurse in the area.
An audio clip has emerged as investigations into the death of Ghanaian nurse Melissa Kyeiwaa Folson continue.
Melissa, in her early 20s and employed at the Adeiso health centre, was tragically murdered on November 27, 2023, allegedly by her boyfriend, Patrick Agyarko.
In the viral audio aired by Rainbow Radio Accra, Patrick Agyarko is heard issuing threats to the deceased, warning her to cease insulting him, or face severe consequences, suggesting a potential motive for the crime.
“Maame, I have decided not to say anything because you are a kid, but I know you claim you don’t fear anything, which is why you go about insulting me anyway. I’m telling you a time will come when I will shut down that mouth forever if you don’t stop the insult.”
“I’m doing this audio, and you can send it to whoever you want; if you don’t know and you insult me again, the mouth you used to insult me, I will shut it forever,” part of the audio aired by Rainbow Radio Accra read.
As of now, the police have not confirmed whether they have arrested Patrick Agyarko, the alleged boyfriend of the late nurse Melissa Kyeiwaa Folson.
A tragic incident has occurred in Atwima Boko, a town in the Ashanti Region, where a 33-year-old nurse named Rita Asamoah has been murdered by unidentified assailants.
According to sources within her family, Rita’s husband alerted the police during the early hours of Tuesday, October 10, reporting that his wife had not returned home after her previous day’s work.
Subsequently, law enforcement and members of the community launched a search operation to locate Rita. During the search, her sandals were discovered approximately one hundred meters away from her residence. Tragically, her lifeless body was later found in a nearby bush.
Beside her, authorities found a sum of money and various items she had purchased, including diapers and baby food.
The police promptly transported Rita’s body to the morgue and have initiated an investigation into the circumstances surrounding her tragic demise.
She left behind three children. Following the incident, residents in the community say they are living in fear.
“Due to the death of our neighbour, we are indeed living in fear,” said Samuel Afrifa, a neighbour of the deceased. “We want authorities to beef up security here.”
Salifu Abdulai, a 33-year-old nurse working with the Walewale Municipal Hospital, has tragically lost his life after a violent attack by a group of ‘Wee Smokers’ in Walewale Moshifong on October 8, 2023.
During a confrontation, the ‘Wee Smokers’ assaulted him with hard objects, resulting in severe head injuries.
After the attack, the deceased who is also known as Expensive was discovered by his co-tenants and rushed to Walewale district hospital around 7 PM.
Due to the seriousness of his condition, he was referred to Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH). Sadly, upon arrival at TTH, he was pronounced dead.
Salifu Abdulai had previously worked at Savelugu Municipal Hospital in the Northern Region before being transferred to Walewale government hospital in 2022.
The Walewale cemetery, close to Moshifong, is reportedly a gathering place for ‘Wee Smokers’ who utilize the nearby forested area to consume marijuana and substances like tramadol.
The exact cause of the altercation leading to Salifu’s death remains unknown.
The municipal police command in Walewale is actively investigating the matter, and one suspect has been arrested in connection with the murder.
The narrative of Bless, a fruit vendor who lives in the Accra neighborhood of Madina, illustrates the reality and sensation of things not going your way or as expected.
Bless, who as a little child wanted to be a nurse, grew up with the idea of having to work menial jobs to support herself.
In an interview with Eugenia Diabah on GhanaWeb TV’s Everyday People, Bless disclosed that her family’s financial situation prevented her from pursuing her passion of becoming a nurse.
“I completed JHS but was unable to continue because there was no money at home. No one could help with money or anything. I wanted to become a nurse but here I am today,” she said.
Bless went on to say that she has worked five jobs or more to support herself as an adult. She also mentioned that she used to work at a pub but had to leave due to male harassment.
“I worked at a bar for four months. I quit because the harassment from menwas too much and I couldn’t bear them again,” she added.
Due to persistent sexual harassment by men, she left her employment as a bartender and is now a fruit vendor
The International media has been told by the a Zimbabwean nurse that they are the “poorest of the poorest” globally and in the southern African.
Douglas Chikobvu said he and his colleagues were paid a “pittance” given Zimbabwe’s high inflation and that he had attempted to leave the country in search of greener pastures.
His comments come as Zimbabwe’s Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga wants to make it a criminal offence for recruitment agencies to poach health workers from Zimbabwe.
He says his country should not be subjected to training doctors and nurses for the benefit of other nations.
However, his proposed legislation has been met with anger and frustration.
Mr Chikobvu said the workload at Zimbabwean hospitals was immense and warned that basic “tools” to do a job like medicine and personal protective equipment were lacking.
He said his ideal country to relocate to would be the US, where he believes nurses are valued, or the UK, where he says medical professionals can work “nicely”.
Zimbabwe’s government says it doesn’t have enough funds for salary hikes or better equipment.
The Wa East District of the Upper East Regionhas only one doctor, after other medical professionals posted to the area fled due to inadequate healthcare infrastructure.
With a population of over 90,000 people, the district is served by approximately 10 health centers.
Speaking to the media, the district director of theGhana Health Service (GHS) in the region, Dr. Kingsley Pascal, said serious consequences may occur should the scenario persists.
“Because of the nature of the district, the terrain as well as network challenges and the relatively deprived nature of communities, it is very difficult to attract doctors. The facilities there do not have teacher services so usually when they are posted and come around and see the place, they go and do not return. There is no guarantee that things will be addressed in the shortest time.”
He added that although the District Chief Executive and Member of Parliament, have been informed about the issue, not much has been done to solve it.
He adds that, while relevant stakeholders such as the District Chief Executive and Member ofhave been made aware of the situation, little has been done to address it.
“The support is not coming as we expect. The stakeholders haven’t really prioritized what we are looking for. For more than six months we haven’t gotten that attention for things to be sorted out”, Dr Pascal added.
A nurse from Uganda has received praise for completing a perilous journey up an improvised wooden stairway across a hill to administer immunizations to children in a far-off community in the country’s eastern region.
As she ascended the steep hill on her way to immunize kids in Masheluse village, the nurse, known as Agnes Nambozo, was captured on camera.
As “nurse of the year,” Health Minister Jane Aceng praised her.
Absolutely speechless and touched to see this dedicated and committed Enrolled Nurse Ms.Nambozo Agnes from Buluganya Health Centre III. She is on her way to Masheluse village in Nataba parish, Young Child Clinic outreach to vaccinate children. Nurse of the year! pic.twitter.com/64IbFpyK6t
A Senior Registered Nurse working at the Kpasera CHPS Compound in the Mpaha Health Zone of the Central Gonja District of the Savannah Region, Atinga Aniyiri David, has taken his life after girlfriend threatens breakup.
Information gathered by 3news.com revealed that the deceased had a misunderstanding with his girlfriend, who threatened to leave him.
Unable to live with the threats, according to reports, the nurse decided to commit suicide.
He was seen by some residents hanging on a tree with a rope tied to his neck behind the facility.
The Assembly member for the area, Japo Mohammed, was contacted and he informed police in Mpaha about the incident.
The deceased worked at the Mpaha Health Center before being transferred to Kpasera CHPS Compound two years ago.
The incharge of the facility and one other staff were not at post when the incident happened.
As at the time of filing this report, the body was being transported to the Damongo Government Hospital for autopsy and preservation.
The youngest of his three children, Irene, was always the subject of Francis Gakwa’s adoration.
“We were always very close,” Francis, 64, tells PEOPLE from Nairobi, Kenya, about the 33-year-old nursing student he called “my Irene.”
“I did spoil her,” Francis, a retired aeronautical engineer, adds.
In 2019, after living with her parents in her native Nairobi for years, Irene, then 30, decided to move to Boise, Idaho, where her older brothers live, to go to school.
“I kept telling her, ‘You can study here [in Nairobi],’” Francis recalls.
She headed to the U.S., but they made staying in touch a priority. “We used to talk on WhatsApp all the time,” says Francis.
But Francis has been in agony since Feb. 24, the last time he and Irene’s mother, Joyce, spoke to her.
“We can hardly sleep and when we sleep, we keep waking up and it’s like dreaming,” Francis says, breaking down into tears.
Since March, police and volunteer search parties have looked for Irene in Gillette, Wyo., where she’d moved in 2021, but have found no sign of the sweet, shy woman.
Not knowing where she is “is unbearable,” says Francis.
On May 11, Gillette police announced that they’d arrested Irene’s boyfriend, Nathan Hightman, 39, and charged him with two counts of felony theft, two counts of crimes against intellectual property and unlawful use of a credit card.
Nathan Hightman.Campbell Country Sheriff’s Office
He allegedly deleted an email account of Irene’s, transferred nearly $3,700 out of her bank account and used her credit card after she vanished.
Though authorities have called Hightman “a person of interest” in Irene’s missing person case, he has not been charged in her disappearance.
He pleaded not guilty and is out on $10,000 bail, awaiting trial. Hightman and his public defender did not respond to PEOPLE’s requests for comment.
In a statement in May, Gillette police said they were “requesting information regarding the possibility of a 55-gallon metal drum, which may have been burned or abandoned within the county.”
‘He Started Isolating Us From Our Sister’
When Irene moved to Boise, she spent a lot of time with her brothers, Kennedy Wainaina, 44, and Chris Gakwa, 38, as well as her nieces and nephews.
In 2020, she began dating Hightman after meeting him online.
“He seemed quiet,” Kennedy recalls. “Didn’t say much. He told me he doesn’t really have any friends.”
Hightman and Irene began showing up less and less to family functions. Calling Hightman “controlling,” Kennedy alleges, “He started isolating us from our sister.”
In early March, after about two weeks of receiving strangely worded text message purportedly from Irene, the family determined through family phone plan records that the couple had moved to Gillette — without telling her brothers.
They called police.
Irene Gakwa.City of Gillette/Facebook
“Nate told them Irene … took a couple of trash bags with her and got into a dark SUV and left,” says Kennedy.
“All her social media was deleted,” he says. “Her friends hadn’t heard from her. All of us were freaking out.”
As police investigate, her worried family waits for answers.
A GoFundMe has been set up for a reward leading to information about Irene’s whereabouts.
Anyone with information related to Gakwa’s disappearance is asked to contact the Gillette Police Department at 307-682-5155.
Ghana and the British government are poised to sign a nurse-for-cash contract.
Health Minister Kweku Agyeman-Manu stated on the floor of parliament on Monday, 5 December 2022 during a discussion of the 2023 budget that each nurse Ghana sends to the UK will likely cost the West African nation £1,000 once the arrangement is finalized.
In accordance with a previous agreement reached between the two nations, nurses from Ghana are already being dispatched to Barbados.
“Mr. Speaker, as you are aware, we have begun sending our nurses abroad on a bilateral basis, and the second cohort of nurses has been dispatched to Barbados as a result of the agreement we struck with that country.
Why would they come for both, Mr. Speaker?
Now that we’re hearing about it in Barbados, patients are asking for Ghanaian nurses to be by their bedsides, and I think that’s good news for us,” said Mr. Agyeman-Manu.
“And, out of these nurses, Ghana is going to benefit from some little monies that the UK government will pass on”, he noted, explaining: “For every single nurse that goes away – when we finish the agreement – it’s likely we’ll get a £1,000 to come back to support our health system”.
Ninety-five Ghanaian nurses (49 women and 46 men) on Thursday, 30 July 2020 arrived in Barbados on an Azores Airlines chartered flight for a two-year contract.
They were to help the Caribbean country’s healthcare system.
In March 2022, the Prime Minister of the Island nation, Mia Motley, said during Ghana’s 65th independence anniversary in the Central Region, at which she was the special guest of honour, that: “I stand here on your Independence Day to thank the people of Ghana for being able to support us in our need for nurses, with the first 95 nurses having gone to Barbados in July 2020.”
“We thank you, the government of the people of Ghana, for that most generous gesture, and we are heartened that they have made a huge difference to our public healthcare system; so much so that we have completed an interview for another 200 nurses to come to Barbados in the near future,” she added.
In November 2019, the Foreign Ministers of Ghana and Barbados, on behalf of the governments and peoples of their respective countries, signed an agreement for the recruitment of a total of 120 nurses from Ghana to complement the staffing needs of the island nation.
The agreement was signed on Friday, 15 November 2019 at Ghana’s Jubilee House, when the Prime Minister of Barbados, Mia Mottley, paid a courtesy call on the President of the Republic of Ghana, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, as part of her official visit.
The objective of the agreement is to provide the framework for the provision of nurses by the Republic of Ghana to Barbados, taking cognisance of the existing commitment of Barbados to accepted international workforce policies and practices, as well as the International Council of Nurses (ICN) Code of Ethics for nurses.
The scope of services and responsibilities include Ghana providing registered nurses to Barbados with a level of expertise as agreed to by both countries, with Barbados providing Ghanaian nurses safe and secure working conditions for professional practice, and medical treatment where needed.
Remuneration is commensurate with the terms and conditions of Barbadian local registered nurses. Barbados is also to provide professional support to Ghanaian nurses to comply with the guidelines and rules of the Nursing Council of Barbados.
A total of 150 short-listed candidates underwent interviews, out of which 120 were to have been chosen.
The qualified nurses possess a minimum of three years of experience, with specialities in the following areas: critical care, cardiac catheterisation, emergency room, operating theatre, and ophthalmology.
It will be recalled that on 15 June 2019, during an official visit to Barbados, as part of activities to promote the declaration of 2019 as the Year of Return, President Akufo-Addo, in principle, agreed to a request by Prime Minister Mottley to send some nurses to work in a number of medical facilities in Barbados.
Addressing a press conference in the aftermath of the bilateral discussions, and with Barbados facing an acute nursing shortage, the Barbadian Prime Minister stated that “we have indicated that we are searching for just under 400 nurses, so it is not a small number, and we really do believe that this is a wonderful opportunity of co-operation between our two countries.”
In addition, she noted that there was also an initial promise to secure the nurses and provide joint education programmes going forward, all in an attempt to secure Barbados’ healthcare sector.
For his part, President Akufo-Addo indicated that “we have a surplus of nurses in Ghana, and placing them all in our public health system is one of my headaches. There have been a lot (of nurses) produced, which, for several years, we have not been able to do anything with.”
He continued, “So, I am going back. I will be back in Accra on Monday, and, the week after, the Prime Minister will hear from me on this matter of nurses.”
Some of her goods and other drugs were also confiscated by the policemen with the condition that another huge amount of money must be paid to them.
Personnel of the Nigeria Police Force, Delta State Command, have extorted N385,000 from an auxiliary nurse and a patent medicine store owner, Blessing Ejike, in Azagba-Ogwash community, Aniocha North Local Government Area of Delta State.
SaharaReporters learnt that six policemen committed the fraud, when they accosted the nurse, who was arrested and taken to the Azagba-Ogwash police post.
Some of her goods and other drugs were also confiscated by the policemen with the condition that another huge amount of money must be paid to them before the goods and other drugs could be released to her.
Narrating the incident to SaharaReporters, a witness, simply identified as Monica, said trouble started when the policemen stormed the nurse’s patent medicine store at Azagba-Ogwash community with an unmarked sienna vehicle, alleging that she sold tramadol tablets that had been banned by the federal government.
Monica said, “The six policemen from the Delta State Police Command, Asaba, were working in synergy with the Divisional Crime Officer, Ina Lekam Ikoi, in charge of the Azagba-Ogwash police post. The six police officers arrested the nurse and seized some of her goods and drugs and took them to the Azagba-Ogwash police post. Thereafter they took the nurse to her house where a search was conducted without even a search warrant and nothing incriminating was found. At this stage, the nurse was taken back to the police post where the sum of N350,000 was extorted from her and she was released.
“But her seized goods and other drugs from her store were taken away with a condition that unless she pays another money, her seized goods and other drugs will not be released to her and that was how they were taken away to unknown destination.
“That is how the police officer in charge of Azagba-Ogwash police post collaborates with his colleagues from Asaba and other police stations to extort money from indigenes every now and then.”
Speaking with SaharaReporters on her ordeal, the nurse cried out and demanded the unconditional release of her goods and other drugs and refund of her hard earned N385,000 allegedly extorted from her by the police.
“After that arrest, just on Thursday night last week, a man who was owing me N1,500 for the treatment of his son, because of a disagreement between us, he arrested me to the Azagba-Ogwash police post. After my statement, one of the policemen, called Saturday, extorted N5,000 from me that I must report back the following day which is Friday. The following day I reported and another sum of N30,000 was again extorted from me through one of the female officers bringing the total money I paid to N385,000.
“The DCO and his officers who extorted the N35,000 from me are already denying that I should show the receipt given to me for the extortion and they are threatened me seriously. The man who is owing me N1,500 for the treatment of his son that arrested me also threatened me and should anything happens to me he should be held responsible. I am calling on the state Commissioner of Police, Ari Muhammed Ali and the Inspector-General of Police, (IGP), Usman Usman Alkali Baba, to intervene in this my case and have my seized goods and other drugs released as well as the refund of my N385,000,” she pleaded.
As at the time of filing this report, Ejike’s goods and other drugs confiscated by the police team from Asaba had not been released to her and when contacted on the issue, the Divisional Crime Officer, (DCO), Ina Lekam Ikoi, in charge of the Azagba-Ogwash police post said he was aware of the two cases concerning the nurse.
He also declined comments on the alleged N385,000 extorted from the nurse.
The nurse who tried to help Takeoff after he was fatally shot recently opened up about what she witnessed and why she decided to respond to the scene. As previously reported by Face2Face Africa, the Migos band member was shot and killed at a bowling alley in Houston on November 1.
In an interview with KHOU, the infusion nurse,who opted not to disclose her identity, said there was nothing she could do to keep the 28-year-year old rapper alive. She also recalled what she heard and saw before she went to the scene of the incident.
“I live close by and I heard, ‘Pow pow pow pow pow,’ and it stopped and I went, ‘That’s so weird so I got up in my pajamas, go over to the balcony, my neighbors were underneath me. I said ‘Did yall hear that?’ And they said ‘Yeah.’ And I said ‘I don’t think that was a car or firecrackers. That sounded like gunshots,’” she said.
The nurse said she initially chose not to leave her home because she suspected it was an active shooter situation. But she said she heard someone scream after things calmed down.
“I’m thinking that’s the victim. That’s the person who’s shot,” she recalled. “It sounded like a cry of agony. It was a cry of agony but emotional not physical.”
The nurse said she later got to know the person who screamed was fellow band member and Takeoff’s uncle Quavo. The 31-year-old was said to be asking for assistance as well as an ambulance. And in the wake of his plea, the nurse said she rushed to the scene after she took her equipment from her car. She added that she later got to know the victim was Takeoff.
“You can hear my voice in a video yelling ‘I’m a nurse. No, no, no. I’m a nurse,’ because I wanted to let them know,” she said. “I was scared, but I had to go.”
But she said there was nothing she could do to resuscitate the deceased rapper. “His head was way up and his eyes were rolled back and fixed,” she recalled. “And I saw a pile of blood behind his head.”
The nurse also told KHOU that she checked the victim’s pulse several times. And though social media users said she should have performed CPR on Takeoff, she said that could have aggravated his condition.
“Would not be appropriate, especially with a gunshot wound,” she said. “You would never do CPR because you would be circulating the blood and the blood would go right out of the hole.”
The nurse said she commiserates with Takeoff’s family as her son’s age is around that of the deceased rapper. She also said she decided to speak on the incident because she wants “somebody to know that good people sometimes show up, just because.”
And though she had conversations with the Houston Police Department in the wake of the fatal shooting, she said she could not provide any concrete information because she wasn’t at the scene when the shots were fired.
The nurse also said she hopes the person who fatally shot the rapper would be identified by someone who knows him. The fatal incident is currently being investigated by the Houston Police Department.
The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has directed its members to withdraw their services from Monday, September 21.
According to the Association, government has failed to improve their conditions of service for the over 82,000 members.
President of the Association Perpetual Ofori Ampofo on Thursday, September 17 told TV3s Daniel Opoku that negotiations with government over their work conditions did not yield any results.
She also raised issues with non-payment of the allowances for frontline health workers and insurance, which were promised as part of incentives in the fight against Covid-19.
The Association says it has petitioned the National Labour Commission (NLC) over its intended action.
Final-year trainees at the Asankragua Nursing and Midwifery Training College in the Western Region are accusing the Principal, Jessie Asiedua Aduako, of extorting monies from them in the name of fighting the spread of Covid-19.
According to the trainee nurses, the Principal is charging students between GH¢1,000 and GH¢2,000 for the few months they have left to complete their training.
The trainee nurses allege that not much has been seen on campus despite assurances by authorities that the monies are being used to procure personal protective equipment (PPEs) in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.
A few Veronica buckets are the only equipment to be seen on campus, the students claim.
The Principal is reported as saying the funds made available to the College are not sufficient; hence the fees to complement the provision by government.
The trainees claim the situation is affecting their studies as some have opted to relocate to neighbouring communities to avoid the payment of some of these “exorbitant†fees.
Efforts to reach the Principal to ascertain the allegations proved futile.
Meanwhile, the College has not recorded any cases of Covid-19.
However, samples from all the suspected cases came out negative.
The trainees involved were immediately isolated until the test results were brought in.
Prince Essel Ferguson, a 32-year-old businessman accused of conspiring with two others now at large to defraud three nurses the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital of GHC6,400 has appeared before an Accra Circuit Court.
Ferguson and his accomplices allegedly took the money under the pretext of enlisting the nurses into the Ghana Armed Forces.
The accused is said to have committed the act with one Colonel Samba and Majed and are jointly charged with conspiracy to commit a crime and three counts of defrauding by false pretences.
Ferguson has however denied the offence and is on GHC20,000.00 bail with two sureties to reappear on August 5th before the court presided over by Mrs. Afua Owusuwaa Appiah.
Prosecuting, Inspector Samuel Ahiabor, said the complainants are Daniel Tetteh, Philemon Gazari, and Theophilus Nyamadi nurses working at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.
According to prosecution, Ferguson resides at Kasoa in the Central Region.
Inspector Ahiabor said in August last year, Ferguson met one Leticia Lewah, a senior nurse and a witness in the case and asked her for assistance.
Prosecution said during the interaction between Ferguson and Ms. Lewah, the accused introduced himself as an Army Captain by name Captain Dankwah attached to the Military Intelligence Unit, currently on Secondment in Sudan.
Prosecution said Ferguson further told Ms Lewah that he was at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital to investigate the background of a newly recruited Medical Doctor who had been recruited into the Ghana Armed Force.
He said Ferguson exchanged his contact with Ms Lewah and two days later, called and asked Ms Lewah if she had relatives who were interested in being enlisted into the army.
Prosecution said Ferguson went on to tell her that he has three slots for people who are to be enlisted into the army and could assist those people to be enlisted.
Inspector Ahiabor said later Ms Lewah informed the complainants about the opportunity at hand of which they also expressed interest, so she introduced them to Ferguson. Prosecution said the accused then asked each of the complainants to pay GHC300.00 for the purchase of the recruitment forms through mobile money contact number 055364457.
The prosecution said after the payment Ferguson met the complainants at different suburbs in Accra and assisted them to fill the recruitment forms.
He said Ferguson on that score also collected GHC150.00 each from the complainants as fuel fees
The Prosecution said Ferguson collected additional GHC1,500.00 from Gazari, GHC1,800.00 from Tetteh, and GHC1,700.00 from Nyamadi. Prosecution said Ferguson in total collected GHC6,400.00 from the three complainants.
Mr Ahiabor said Ferguson later asked the three complainants to pay an additional GHC8,000.00 each to settle some Army Commanders, so the complainants became suspicious and informed Ms Lewah who alerted the Military Police at the 37 Military Hospital.
Prosecution said when Ferguson was called to come for the monies, he was arrested and handed over to the Police. He said during investigations Ferguson mentioned one Colonel Samba and Majed, a soldier as officers who were behind the deal.
A final year student of the Nalerigu Nurses and Midwifery College, as well as a pregnant woman, have tested positive for the novel coronavirus in Nalerigu in the North East Region.
The student, according to health officials, returned to school recently from Cape Coast in the Central Region while the pregnant woman was said to have travelled to Nalerigu from Obuasi in the Ashanti Region.
Both patients have been quarantined to undergo COVID-19 treatment.
Municipal Health Director Mark Abugri who confirmed the cases contact tracing has commenced.
North East Region has since the outbreak of COVID-19 in Ghana recorded four positive cases with two recoveries.
The government through the Ministry of Health has been given clearance to employ 8,076 nurse assistants who completed in 2017 in both clinical and preventives.
According to a letter dated June 9, 2020, from the Ministry of Finance and signed by the Deputy Minister, Abena Osei-Asare, is to take effect not earlier than November 1, 2020.
Here’s the letter from the Finance Ministry
FINANCIAL CLEARANCE
Please refer to letter No. HRHD/DIR/03/19/40 from the Ministry of Health on the above subject:
The Ministry of Health is hereby granted financial clearance to enable the Ministry post eight thousand, and seventy-six (8,076) Nurse Assistant Clinical and Nurse Assistant Preventive who completed in 2017 from various Public Health Training Institutions.
The emoluments of the personnel should be charged against the Compensation of Employees vote of the Ministry of Health in the 2020 Annual Estimates.
The Ministry of Health is to ensure that the Nurse Assistant Clinical and Nurse Assistant Preventive staff have their documents processed in time and placed on the Mechanized Payroll to enable the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department effect payment of their salaries.
The effective date of the appointed personnel should not be earlier than 1 November 2020.
By a copy of this letter, the Controller and Accountant-General is requested to effect the payment of their salaries and make appropriate deductions of Social Security and Income Tax to SSNIT and the Domestic Tax Division of Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) respectively.
Please note that the financial clearance expires at the end of 31st December 2020 and cannot be used thereafter.
Members of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) in the Nandom Municipality of the Upper West region have threatened to embark on a sit-down strike on Monday, April 27, 2020.
The action is to protest the alleged neglect of three of their members who were exposed to a confirmed COVID-19 case.
The Nandom Municipal Chairman of the Association, Yendornaa Kafunla John, in an interview with Citi News complained that three nurses and a doctor were exposed to the case but authorities in the municipality only quarantined the doctor.
“I have reported everything to the region and it has given me the go-ahead that if nothing will be done and if all nurses at the OPD will not be quarantined starting from Monday there will a total sit-down strike and nothing is done we will extend it furtherâ€, he said.
COVID-19 cases in Upper West region
The first case in the region was announced by the Minister on March 27, 2020.
According to the Minister, the patient is a 42-year-old Ghanaian who visited the UK, Spain and returned to Ghana through Egypt.
Currently, the region has 8 confirmed cases.
Nurses & Midwives Association wants reassigned U/W GHS director investigated
This call comes after the association “intercepted a letter dated, 20th April 2020 signed by the Director-General of the GHS, Dr Parick Kuma-Aboagye re-assigning Dr O.K Afreh to the headquarters of the GHS.â€
While applauding the Director-General for the action, the association called for an expedite handover.
The association further called for an audit of “all financial handlings within his [Dr. Osei Kuffour Afreh] tenure as Regional Director, especially in his last week in office. The recent quota/financial clearance for the recruitment of staff into the service in the region. The over 40 CSM deaths in the region and all donations received through the Health Directorate in respect of the fight against COVID19 and CSM in the Upper West Regionâ€.
The Ministry of Health (MoH) will on Tuesday, April 14, commence recruitment for trained diploma and degree nurses and midwives.
The recruitment will involve only those who graduated in 2017.
A statement issued and signed by the Chief Director for the Ministry of Health, Nana Kwabena Adjei-Mensah, said qualified nurses and midwives are requested to formally apply on the ministry of health online application centre.
Applicants are to log on to https://hr.moh.gov.gh/ and follow the instructions to select the preferred agency under the ministry for posting.
Deadline for submission of application is Friday, May 15, 2020 at 6pm.
President Akufo-Addo last Sunday announced that health care workers in the frontline of the Coronavrius fight will not pay tax for the next three months.
He also announced an insurance package of GH¢350,000 for each health personnel and allied professional at the forefront of the fight has also been put in place, while a daily allowance of GH¢150 is being paid to contact tracers.
He added that frontline health workers would receive an additional allowance of 50 per cent of their basic salary per month for the months of March, April, May and June.
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has directed staff who are pregnant or nursing babies not to report for work as the nation battles to get a hold on coronavirus.
Additionally, National Service Personnel and drivers without assigned official vehicles are to be excused from duty.
“National Service Personnel, interns, pregnant women, nursing mothers, and drivers without assigned official vehicles are to be excused from work with immediate effect. Rotational Nurses and officers in the residency program are exemptedâ€
The directive is contained in a memo dated April 2, 2020 issued by the Director-General of GHS Dr. Patrick Aboagye and addressed to all Divisional Directors of GHS across the Country as a measure to reduce staff strength in response to Covid-19 Pandemic.
The Memo cited by Starr News explained that Management of GHS took the decision to reduce staffing levels of those operating at the national level to avoid “non-essential†commuting or travelling, overcrowding and contacts with others to enhance social distancing as to prevent the spread of infections at the workplace.
The memo stated further that “all Directors and Deputy Directors are required to be at post during this period and those who need to take days off are to request in writingâ€
GHS instructed that “all Directors are to select critical staff in their Divisions to be at Post during this period. Officers who will be working from home will be contacted when their services are required at the officeâ€
The Memo also barred visiting at the hospital except those who have specific appointment.
Health workers in Ghana continue to agitate over lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) at various health facilities exposing them to high risk of being infected. Two doctors and a nurse have tested for the virus in Ghana.
Ghana confirmed nine(9) new cases of Covid-19 on April 4, 2020 increasing the national case count to 214.
Nurses and Midwives have been advised by their mother association, the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) to leave isolation units if they are not supplied personal protective equipment by the government.
The Association also urged the health workers to be on alert in the conduct of their daily routines in light of the outbreak of the 2019 Coronavirus.
The Association in a release on Friday, March 13, 2020 said health officials must ensure that protective gears are made available to the nurses and midwives who will be on the frontline working in isolation units in the four designated treatment centres for Coronavirus in Ghana.
“Nursing and Midwifery managers must ensure that Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) are available for use by all nurses and midwives working in the isolation Units in the four designated treatment centers.â€
“In the event of unavailability of these logistics at the isolation centres, we strongly advise our nurses and midwives to protect their lives by removing themselves from that environment,†the statement said.
While urging nurses and midwives to carry out their jobs professionally without panic, the Association said the public must remain calm and follow preventive guidelines outlined by the Ministry of Health.
“We assure our stakeholders that the GRNMA is committed to supporting the national coordinated efforts to identify, manage, contain and prevent the spread of the virus,†the release said.
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) on Tuesday said it has received with shock the sad news of the murder of one of its dedicated Registered Community Health Nurse, Mrs Ruth Ama Eshun, in the Ashanti Region.
“Mrs Eshun, we were informed, was murdered on February 3, 2020, while on her way back home from work,†a statement signed by Dr Patrick Kuma Aboagye, GHS Acting Director General and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra stated.
The statement said until her death, Mrs Eshun was a staff of the Sewua Health Centre in the Bosomtwe District of the Ashanti Region.
It said “the GHS Management and Governing Council wishes to express our deepest condolences to the husband, children and the entire bereaved familyâ€.
The statement further said the Service was relying on the expertise of the Ghana Police Service to unravel the cause of death and bring the perpetrators to face the full rigor of the law “as we seek justice for the victimâ€.
It stated that the GHS and its Council would like to assure its staff that the Service was taking steps including liaising with the various Regional Coordinating Councils to prioritise the security and safety of all staff across the country.
It further encouraged its staff to continue to deliver on their mandate as the necessary safety and security measures were advocated for.
The Service, urged the public to contact the police with the relevant information that would help bring the perpetrators to book.
Some social media users have heated the internet to demand justice for Ruth Arhin who was gang-raped and murdered on Monday, February 3.
Ruth Arhin, a nurse in the at the Sewua Health Center, met her untimely death on her way home from work at a town called Ayuom in the Bosomtwi Disrict in the Ashanti Region.
The 37-year-old and a mother of three failed to return home after close of work on Monday after she left the Health Center.
Her body was later found in the bush on February 4 with traces that her underwear had been pulled down suggesting she had been raped before murdered.
The news of her death has sparked social media reactions with many calling for justice for the Ruth Arhin. According to the users, perpetrators must be found and face the law.
Meanwhile, one suspect has been reportedly arrested in connection with the death of the deceased.
This comes after a phone found on the crime scene was traced to the unidentified suspect.
The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has called on its employers, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and its agencies to ensure the “security and safety of nurses and Midwives in all parts of the country especially hard to reach areas.â€
This follows the killing of a Community Health Nurse, Ruth Ama Eshun by some unknown persons on Monday, 3 February 2020.
The deceased nurse who until her death was a Registered Community Health Nurse at the Sewua Health Centre in the Bosomtwe District of the Ashanti Region is alleged to have been gang raped and killed by unknown persons.
However, in a statement released and signed by its President, Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo and its General Secretary, David Tenkorang-Twum, on Friday,7 February 2020, the GRNMA condemned the killing of the Community Health Nurse and appealed to the Ghana Police Service “to investigate this matter with the urgency it deserves and bring the perpetrators to book.â€
The GRNMA also commiserated with the “husband and children and the entire family†of the deceased Nurse and further urged all members of the GRNMA to “remain calm as we liaise with our Ashanti Regional Executives and the Security Agencies to bring justice to the family.â€
It further called on the MOH and its agencies to “ensure the security and safety of Nurses and Midwives working in all parts of the country especially hard to reach areas.â€
The body of a nurse believed to be in her late 30s has been found at Ayuom near Sewua in the Bosomtwe District in the Ashanti Region.
The deceased was last seen by her colleagues leaving the Sewua Health Centre, where she worked, for home on Monday.
Her lifeless body was found a few meters from her home the following day.
Assemblyman for the area, Prince Adutwum confirmed that the body of the deceased has since been deposited at the morgue.
“The Nurse left work in the morning. According to a doctor at the Sewua health centre, she closed from work at about 3pm. She then left to town for her personal errands. She stays at the new site in the area so when she was returning home, that was when she met some unscrupulous persons who murdered her.
“Yesterday, we informed Fiyaasi Police who came around to convey the body to the mortuary and also to conduct further investigations. As I am speaking to you I am here at the police station with one of the chiefs in the area to write our statement on what happened.â€
The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has given the government a 15-day ultimatum to pay all outstanding allowances owed Nurses and Midwives interns on National Service across the country.
Failing to do so before next year, according to the group, would result in massive industrial action.
The group, in a statement jointly signed by the President and General Secretary, said most of its members on National Service have not been paid over a period of eight months now.
“The few who have received their allowances were paid for only November on Level 8 low instead of Level 12 low on the single spine salary structure as negotiated by the Association, the statement available to theghanareport.com reads.
It added, “Rotation Nurses and Midwives (Nurse Interns) and Degree Prepared Nurses doing their National Service should be paid corresponding allowances on Level 12 low on the single spine salary structure.â€
Members of the Graduate Unemployed Nurses and Midwives Association will today, Monday, 21 October 2019 picket the Ministry of Health (MoH) to demand their immediate employment.
The association is made up of public-trained nurses and midwives who graduated in 2017 and 2018 and have been home unemployed.
“We are going to the Ministry of Health with all our parents as well as our mattresses and mosquito nets and will only leave there the time or day our financial clearance will be released to us,†the group said in an earlier statement signed by the General Secretary Achire Abraham.
The group after issuing the threat some two weeks ago in a new statement today said, “leadership till now haven’t had any positive response from the ministry regarding our financial clearance hence our quest to fight for what is rightfully ours as professionals and Ghanaians as a whole.”
The culture of unemployed graduate nurses picketing and demonstrating for financial clearance before employment has become a ritual in the country in recent years.
A 25-year-old, Alice Bonye, a second-year student of the Tamale Nurses and Midwifery Training College, was sentenced to six months in prison for stealing one thousand two hundred Ghana cedis.
According to Alice, her parents do not earn enough salary to take care of her and her two siblings who are also in school. “My dad is a security man and my mum sell locally made coconut oil which does not bring enough money home to take care of all of usâ€, she tells crimecheckghana.
She disclosed that due to the financial difficulties, her father took a loan to enable her to enter the nursing and midwifery college.
“The loan my father took was able to cater for my first-year fees only. Whilst in school, I could not afford to buy handouts and so I had to write my notes from handouts. My parents could not get money for my second-year fees because my dad had not yet finished paying the loan so he was not eligible for another loanâ€, A weeping Alice told crimecheckghana.
She said when school reopened and she had no hope of going because she needed her bankers draft as proof of payment to enable her enter the school premises.
“I then decided to go back to Tema General Hospital where I did my clinicals to steal money from the bag of a nurse to pay my school fees. After stealing the money, I was frightened so I could not count the money till I got to the bankâ€, she said.
Miss Bonye said she was able to go to school but was arrested upon her return to the hospital. After serving her six months term in the Nsawam Female Prison, she returned to school to further her education but was informed that she has been sacked for tarnishing the image of the school.
Alice said amid tears, “I want to go back to school. Anytime I see my school uniform in the room, I get saddened that I have wasted the loan my father went for to cater for my education. I wish I can get financial support to start all over again. I love nursing and I want to be a nurseâ€.
The coalition of unemployed Private Nurse clinical Assistants on Monday 30th September, 2019, besieged the premises of the Ministry of Health (MOH) demanding to be posted to health facilities in the country.
Clad in a red armed band, the aggrieved unemployed Private Nurse Assistants revealed that, the ministry came out with a statement middle of this year claiming to have employed all private graduate nurses but only employed degree and diploma nurses leaving the certificate nurses who completed between 2012-2016.
Speaking to Ernestina Afeke of Hot 93.9FM, the public Relations Officer(PRO) of the coalition of unemployed Private Nurse Assistants, Patrick Aseidu accused the ministry of health of not being truthful to them:
“Yes, from the look of things, we can clearly see that the Ministry is not being truthful…though the Ministry has urged us to wait because they are still awaiting clearance from the Ministry of Finance, we can no longer sit at home …they need to post us because we are also Ghanaians..†he told Ernestina Afeke
“.We will continue to put pressure on Ministry by besieging the premises until they post us,†he added.
