President Akufo Addo says he has developed a headache having to place all qualified nurses in the country’s public health system.
The President made the revelation in Bridgetown, Barbados, during bilateral talks with Barbados Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley after she disclosed that her country is searching for just under 400 nurses to come and work 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.
President Akufo Addo who paid a day’s working visit to Barbados on Friday, 14th June, in response said “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.”
President Akufo-Addo, agreed to the request to send some three hundred and seventy-five Ghanaian nurses to Barbados to work in a number of their government medical facilities.
With President Akufo-Addo being the first leader of Ghana to visit Barbados, the two leaders agreed to reactivate a 2005 cultural, technical and scientific agreement signed between the two countries, an agreement which has been dormant for 14 years.
The discussions also touched on tourism and transportation, with Ghana and Barbados agreeing to work on an air services agreement, which will establish direct air links between the two countries, so as to boost trade and people-to-people contact.
