Five minutes with...the president of the Ghanaian nurses association

This article supports ‘Ghana visit’, published in RCN Bulletin, 1 June 2011, page 4

Kim Bell talks to Alice Asare-Allotey, the President of the Ghana Registered Nurses’ Association (GRNA), about her recent visit to the RCN and the challenges facing nurses in Ghana and beyond

How did you come to have connections with the RCN?

My relationship with the RCN began more than 10 years ago and was built through meeting members and staff at the International Council of Nurses (ICN) conferences. I realised straight away that we could learn a lot from the largest and most established nursing union so we have maintained close contact ever since.

How has the relationship assisted the nursing profession in Ghana?

Over the years the RCN has helped us improve our nurse attrition rate and set up terms and conditions similar to those here in the UK. Nursing is a much more attractive profession in Ghana now and the number of trained nurses leaving the country in pursuit of better prospects has dramatically reduced.

What is the purpose of your visit now?

We want nurses in Ghana to have more influence in the political decision-making process so are seeking help from the RCN to give us tips on how best to do this. The chief nursing officer role was removed in 2001 and service delivery now is quite removed from policy decisions about care.

What are the other big issues for nursing in Ghana?

Retaining and rewarding nurses who undertake additional training is difficult because specialist skills are not currently recognised in our pay structure. It means that some of our most talented nurses are still tempted to migrate causing a big problem for the profession. There is also a big gap between theory and practice with nursing students as we struggle to find workplace mentors to help them gain practical experience. Mental health nursing is also unattractive due to the stigma attached to certain conditions and the tendency to rely on faith healing within our culture. Most people who need help with mental health problems are still treated in hospital.

How does your association and health care compare to the RCN and the NHS here?

The GRNA is very similar to the RCN in many ways but we only have 7,000 members from the 13,000 nurses who work in Ghana. We defend the rights of nurses and campaign on their behalf as well as offer legal representation if they’re in trouble. We also provide a provident fund to all our members upon their retirement. As for health care itself, we operate a national health insurance scheme so that treatment is free at the point of access. There are some things you have to pay extra for though. They include plastic surgery, cardiac care and cancer treatment.

Alice is pictured above (right) with RCN Deputy President Cecilia Anim.