Why Ghana dey export nurses to Barbados

For some parts of Africa, pipo bin dey try to leave dia kontri to find wetin dem call ‘greener pastures’.

In Nigeria and Ghana, dem dey call am ‘japa’.

From normal workers for public and private sector to oda specialists, di numbers bin dey rise.

For di health sector, in 2023 alone, almost 2,000 critical staff wey include doctors, midwives, nurses, administrative staff and odas bin leave dia post.

Di Ghana health service data bin show say dis pipo wey japa for dat year, include those wey take leave without pay, those wey resign and odas wey just leave dia post.

Pesin fit chat dia friend today, di next two days im go tok say im travel go Europe or America.

For Ghana, since 2019, one agreement between di kontri and Barbados don create way for Ghana to send dia nurses to di Caribbean nation to work.

Dis one follow appeal wey di prime minister of Barbados Mia Amor Mottley bin make to Ghana President Nana Akufo-Addo say make im allow some of di nurses for di kontri to enta Barbados.

According to di prime minister, di Caribbean kontri short nurses and oda healthcare workers.

Ghana and Barbados sign agreement to export nurses

For one press conference during di visit of Ghana president to Barbados, Prime Minister Mia Mottley tok say, “we need like 400 nurses, we believe say dis na wonderful opportunity say we go co-operate wit Ghana.”

Na so Nana Akufo-Addo tok say, “Ghana get surplus nurses wia to place dem for public health institutions sef na one of my headaches. We don produce plenty nurses ova di years and we neva fit deal wit di numbers since.”

Afta dat meeting, during Ghana 65th Independence Day celebration for 2022, Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley wey be di special guest tank President Akufo-Addo say im gree to di deal.

“I stand for dis Independence Day say make I thank una for di support for our kontri as we don dey look for nurses, wit di first batch of 95 nurses wey don already dey Barbados in July 2020.”

Im add say, “e dey sweet me say di first batch dey do dia work well well wey help our public health system to di extent say we don interview anoda 200 nurses wey go enta Barbados for further.”

At di time dis arrangement don dey happun, pipo begin to bash di goment say make dis nurses stay for di kontri and help Ghanaians.

But di deputy minister for health at di time, Alexander Abban tok say e go beta say make di kontri send those nurses abroad, sake of di salary wahala wit di Ghana health service.

Five years afta di agreement, time don reach to select di third batch of nurses wey go go Barbados.

Ministry of health begin process to select anoda 100 nurses for Barbados

Inside one statement, di ministry announce say make qualified registered nurses apply to go to di Island kontri.

Di letter wia di ministry Chief Director Alhaji Hafiz Adam don sign tok say “di application portal don open on 15 August”.

“Prospective applicants dey required to access di form on di ministry im website wia pipo get to follow di instructions.”

Di ministry tok say apart from dis portal for dia website, make pipo no go any oda place or contact any middlemen for dis recruitment.

“If pipo find any fishy activity, make dem report to di chief director of di ministry - wey deadline for di application na 22 August 2024.”

Process and criteria to select di nurses

Di basic criteria for di registered nurses to apply be say di applicants get to have minimum of three years working experience wey dem get to have all dia certificates.

Apart from dat, dem get to have dia ACLS and BLS certificates.

“BLS (basic life support) and ACLS (advanced cardiovascular life support) certificates dey required for registered nurses wey dey apply for dis opportunity.”

Leader of di Ghanaian nurses for Barbados, Dela Arthur-Mensah tell BBC Pidgin say di nurses “get to also prepare dia mind say dem dey go serve for anoda kontri wit different pipo and different ideology.”

Im add say, “even though dem no dey used to dis kind system, di nurses get to prepare to take up new roles as well as experiences wia wahala too go come but dem get to face dem.”

According to di application portal, Barbados bin dey look for dis category of nurses - nursing officers, midwifery officers, critical care nurses, accident & emergency nurses and anaesthetic nurses.

Di oda categories na neonatal nurse practitioners, theatre nurses, staff community psychiatric nurses, community health nurses, staff mental health nurses among odas.

Wetin di Ghana registered nurses and midwives association tok

President of di registered nurses and midwives association Perpetual Ofori Ampofo already bin tok say every nurse get di right to travel and work abroad as nurse or midwife.

Im tok for one video for di Ghana registered nurses and midwives association (GRNMA) platform say, “dis na di economic power of care.”

“As healthcare professionals, wetin we want be say we go improve our lives wey we want better and decent life for our family and our children, na so if di moni you dey earn currently no dey take you dia, you get di right to move abroad. Nothing dey stop you, na your right.”

Madam Perpetual also tok say, “e dey important say we go continue to partner organisations wey continue to fight for migrant nurses and better conditions of service for dem if dey go abroad.”

“Di truth na say we fit to take advantage of di situation - wetin dey important na say we go guide di nurses say tins no dey like heaven for outside wey dey make agents or agencies take advantage of dem. Dem get to use di right channels,” president of di GRNMA explain.

Di oda tin na say di nurses get to ensure say dem get di proper license wey go allow dem enta and work for Barbados and oda kontris wey dem don dey japa go.

Ghana get plenti backlog of nurses wey dey house years afta dem complete dia training.

Some of di nurses bin dey house for more dan three, four years wia goment neva employ dem for di public sector.

Some of dis unemployed nurses ova di years don organize demonstrations say make di health ministry employ dem for di system, but di ministry of finance wey get to give di clearance for dia employment bin dey tok say dem go do am, but e neva happun.

Na so some of di nurses already try to dey find dia own means to japa.

Wit dis Barbados agreement, as di nurses don dey go di Caribbean kontri for dia 2-year renewable contract, space don dey for di Ghana health system to fit employ some of di unemployed nurses.

Experience of Ghana nurses for Barbados

So far about 300 nurses don go Barbados since 2019 wey anoda 100 dey expected to enta di Island kontri dis year.

Di contract na for two years.

But opportunity dey say di nurses fit renew dia work permit and continue to stay and work for dia.

Those wey wan return to Ghana fit return; those wey wan move from Barbados to di UK, US, Canada, Australia or Jamaica, dem fit to do am.

Dela Arthur-Mensah, di current leader of di Ghanaian nurses for Barbados tok say “some of di nurses don decide say dem go renew dia contract to stay hia, wey odas don decide say dem go continue dia journey from hia to oda kontris.”

Im tok say as tins dey so, pipo no wan go back to Ghana to continue dia nursing work.

Some of di nurses bin dey work for di kontri im ogbonge goment hospital - di Queen Elizabeth hospital wia di odas dey work under di ministry of health (dis group dey work for di polyclinics and oda health facilities).

About di salary wia di Barbados goment don dey pay di nurses, e don beta pass wetin dem dey take for Ghana.

Di salary structure also dey according to years of experience and certificate.

For dis nurses in Barbados, dia monthly salary dey range between $1200 - $3000, according to tori from Ghana officials wey bin dey facilitate dis project.

At a time Ghana dey suffer economic crisis, dis moni na plenty moni wia sabi force di nurses to stay for dia.

Some of dem even dey carry dia family members to join dem for dia.

So far, di nurses don adjust to di work system and life for di Caribbean kontri.

“Di environment dey feel like home, but di challenges also dey every day, but we still dey conquer am and e don dey add to our experience for hia,” Dela tok BBC pidgin.

Im tok say “ wit time, di new nurses wey go come, go adjust, everibodi get dia own coping mechanisms but I sabi say wit time dem go be okay.”

“To dey adjust to di work routine and sleep time go happun small small.”