The Dean of the School of Nursing and Midwifery at the College of Health Sciences, University of Ghana, Prof. Florence Naab, has called for urgent reforms and greater investment in the nursing profession, warning that Ghana’s healthcare future cannot be sustained if nurses continue to work under immense pressure without adequate support.
Delivering the keynote address at the launch and celebration of International Nurses Day under the theme, “Our Nurses, Our Future: Empowered Nurses Save Lives,” Prof. Naab said that although nurses remain the backbone of every health system, many are silently struggling with burnout, emotional exhaustion, poor working conditions, and societal neglect.
“We have often heard that nurses are the backbone of every health system — the constant presence at the bedside and often the last voice a patient hears,” she stated. “Yet behind this compassion and professionalism, many nurses are crying quietly for hope. These cries may not always be loud, but they are deeply felt.”
Prof. Naab identified several intra-professional challenges affecting nurses, including excessive workloads, long working hours, staff shortages, poor supervisory support, and workplace tensions.
According to her, heavy workloads and prolonged shifts continue to place significant physical, emotional, and mental strain on nurses, leading to fatigue, stress, anxiety, burnout, and reduced job satisfaction.
“Long hours and inadequate rest contribute to sleep disturbances and increased rates of illness. Constant pressure and high patient demands weaken resilience and compromise the quality of patient care,” she explained.
She further noted that chronic understaffing forces many nurses to assume overwhelming responsibilities, while poor communication, workplace bullying, and rigid hierarchies often silence junior nurses and erode trust within healthcare teams.
“Many nurses feel isolated rather than empowered. Lateral violence among colleagues and limited support from supervisors continue to weaken morale within the profession,” she added.
Beyond the profession itself, Prof. Naab pointed to external factors that continue to burden nurses, including inadequate healthcare infrastructure, limited logistics, poor policy implementation, inequitable remuneration, and negative societal perceptions about nursing.
She lamented the shortage of essential medical equipment and supplies in many healthcare facilities, describing the situation as a source of “moral distress” for nurses.
“Imagine wanting to save a life, but lacking the basic tools needed to do so. That is the painful reality many nurses face daily,” she said.
Prof. Naab also criticized society’s perception of nursing as subordinate to medicine, stressing that the profession remains undervalued despite its critical role in healthcare delivery.
“In this 21st century, why should people still be shocked to hear that nurses are pursuing PhDs? Why is nursing still discussed merely as a subsection of medicine? It is time to change that narrative,” she emphasized.
She further raised concerns about increasing incidents of patient and family aggression toward nurses, especially in overstretched healthcare facilities where frustrations often run high.
Without adequate security and institutional support, she said, nurses remain vulnerable both emotionally and physically.
Prof. Naab also highlighted the economic pressures facing nurses outside the workplace, including rising living costs, family responsibilities, and limited financial growth opportunities, which continue to add to their stress.
“In times of crises — pandemics, disasters, or public health emergencies — nurses are expected to stand firm, often without adequate protection, incentives, or recovery support,” she noted.
Reflecting on the theme of the celebration, Prof. Naab challenged stakeholders to consider the kind of future being created for nurses in Ghana.
“A future where nurses are unsupported, both within and outside the profession, cannot sustain quality healthcare delivery,” she warned.
On the issue of empowerment, Prof. Naab stressed that it must begin within the profession itself through mentorship, collaboration, open communication, and mutual support among nurses and midwives.
“An empowered nurse is clinically competent, confident in decision-making, and unafraid to advocate for what is right,” she said.
She urged nurses to prioritize their mental and emotional well-being, reminding them that self-care is essential to professional growth and effective caregiving.
“We cannot pour from an empty cup. If nobody cares for you, you have to care for yourself,” she advised.
Prof. Naab also called for broader systemic reforms, including improved policies, safer working conditions, access to higher education, fair remuneration, and stronger representation of nurses in decision-making at both institutional and national levels.
“We must begin to see ourselves not just as caregivers, but as leaders, advocates, and changemakers,” she declared. “When nurses are empowered both internally and externally, they do not merely sustain the healthcare system — they transform it.”
By Sampson Kumah Ifeetwube Elvis
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