Preventive Health Nurses (PHN), usually called community health nurses, are among the important agents behind the beautiful health targets we see within the service.
They are the frontliners at the primary level of care and they undertake outreaches to provide services such as immunizations, family planning, antenatal care, school health, and outbreak response.
Essentially, the provision of primary healthcare, disease surveillance and outbreak response are impossible without this cadre of health staff.
However, and from deep throat sources, these nurses say they work under very dangerous, deplorable and emotionally stressful circumstances that cause low morale and possible burnout among them.
They cite instances of disrespect and lack of empathy from authorities who pressure them to produce targets under very dangerous and humane conditions.
Even when they complain, they are told to resign from work if they thought the work was dangerous and overwhelming. Such responses lack empathy and must be frustrating.
Additionally, they mention inadequate logistics, lack of reliable transportation and lack of safety measures as factors that hinder their work. Often a time they borrow motorbikes from friends for outreaches.
On safety, they say their motorcycles are not even insured and when they crash and suffer injuries, they are left to their fate without support from the service or employer.
A specific example of this was when a community health nurse who suffered a fracture from a motorbike accident in line of duty had to foot all GHC 26,000 bill without support from the employer.
As for those who die in line of duty, the least said about institutional support, the better. Their families often rely on support from the unions when such unfortunate incidents happen.
PHNs are therefore appealing to the employer to address their concerns in order to boost morale among them and consequently improve health outcomes among Ghanaians.
They want the following;
1. Reliable transportation and safety gear to help with outreaches.
2. Insurance coverage for their health emergencies.
3. Adequate staffing levels to prevent burnout among them.
4. Leadership with empathy to boost morale and to ensure supportive supervision rather than intimidation.
5. Risk allowances to motivate them for the sacrifices they make working under unsafe conditions.
Jubilee House John Dramani Mahama Ghana Health Service Ministry of Health, Ghana GHS- Office of the Director Nursing and Midwifery Services – ODNMS Kwabena Mintah Akandoh Tony Goodman TV3 Ghana JoyNews Onua 95.1 FM Ghana Registered Nurses’ & Midwives’ Association – GRNMA Union of Professional Nurses and Midwives, Ghana Preventive Health Nurses Society – Ghana
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