Nurses exit the service under the guise of ‘leave without pay’ – Ghana Health Service

The Director of the Ghana Health Service’s (GHS) regional office in the Ashanti Region, Dr. Emmanuel Tenkorang, has disclosed that most of the nurses eloping the country for greener pastures abroad do so by taking a ‘leave without pay’ from their various departments.

Speaking in an interview with journalists, Dr. Tenkorang further added that over 304 nurses from the Ashanti Region applied for ‘leave without pay’ in the first quarter of 2023.

The Director of the Ashanti Regional GHS also lamented the fact that those leaving the service are their most skilled practitioners.

“When we did the analysis for the first quarter of the year, we realised that about 304 of our staff requested leave without pay. That means that they’ve left the service. These are very skilful health workers we’ve been training for years, who have the right knowledge, the right skills and the right attitude to provide the service. Now, you will see that they’ve been attracted outside the country so most of them are outside.

“Those that we did the investigation and realised that most of them working outside the country though they’ve requested for leave without pay, they’ve travelled outside the country to go and work. And it’s worrying," Dr. Tenkorang said.

The brain drain continues to be a pressing concern that needs undivided attention and strategic interventions in order to retain qualified professionals and enhance Ghana’s many sectors.

ABJ/OGB