The Ghanaian-Diaspora Nursing Alliance (G-DNA) has been launched in Accra with the aim of serving as a bridge between Ghanaian nurses living and working in Ghana, and those in the diaspora.
Prof. Yvonne Commodore-Mensah, the president of the G-DNA who is an Associate Professor at the Johns Hopkins Schools of Nursing and Public Health in Baltimore in her address said she hopes that the alliance will advance the work of nurses in the country.
She stated that the Ghanaian-Diaspora Nursing Alliance is to create local to global collaboration between nurses in Ghana and their counterparts in the Diaspora.
The Chairman of the occasion, Dr. Patrick Kumah Aboagye, the Director General of Ghana Health Service said Nurses with Advanced Certificates will be promoted to make up for Europe migration. According to him, several professional nurses are migrating to Europe. This is reducing the number of professional nurses in the country.
He said that the situation has forced the Service to devise urgent measures to ensure that it augments the numbers and ensure that the country is not fully deprived when it comes to the roles that these professional nurses play in the healthcare sector. Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye added that the GHS is also working alongside other institutions to be able to put together the exact data on the impact of these migrations by the nurses.
He also stated that they are ensuring that all nurses who have legally acquired certificates in advanced studies are assessed and properly promoted so as to help with the situation.
The Acting Registrar, Mrs. Philomina Woolley in her goodwill message pledges the Council’s allegiance to support the Alliance in whatever way so as to achieve their aim.
Members of the G-DNA Executive Board are Prof. Yvonne Commodore-Mensah, President and Co-Founder; Dr. Matilda Decker, Vice President and Co-Founder; Dr. Ruth-Alma Turkson-Ocran, Executive Director; Dr. Daniel Apau, Co-Director of Education; and Irene Fankah, co-Director of Eduction.
The rest are Evelyn Amoako, Ghana Liaison; Thomas Hinneh, Co-Director of Research and Quality Improvement; Angela Agore, Co-Director of Ressearch and Quality Improvement; Jacqueline Idun, Public Relations Officer; and Josephine Agyei, Social Media Manager.
The group also has 10-member Advisory Council including Victoria Bubunyo Bam, President, Associate Professor at the Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives; Eva Mensah, Director of Nursing and Midwifery Service, Ghana Health Service; Philomina Woolley, Ag. Registrar, Nursing and Midwifery Council; and David Tenkorang-Twum, Secretary, GRNMA.
The others are FlorenceNaab, Dean of UG School of Nursing and Midwifery; Nancy Reynolds, Associate Dean of Global Affairs, John Hopkins School of Nursing Center for Global Initiatives; Veronica Dzomeku,Dean, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Dept. of Nursing and Midwifery, KNUST; Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo, President, GRNMA; Prof. Lydia Aziato, Vice Chancellor, University of Health and Allied Sciences; and Hannah Acquah, Rector, Ghana College o Nurses and Midwives