President of the Ghana Registered Nurses Association, Mr. Kwaku Asante-Krobea has bemoaned the demonstration of poor ethical conduct by some professionals working at health facilities in Ghana today.

He said that many nurses who join the labour force have very little, if any regard for ethical conduct, causing widespread distrust among the public in their profession. He attributed this to the poorly regulated, low-quality nurse training schools emanating across the country, creating a flaw in the system and an obstruction to quality nursing.

Mr. Kwaku Asante asserted that a large number of nurses practicing in the country prioritise materialism over commitment to their patients and profession. Many nurses, he believed, had joined the profession for the wrong reasons, forsaking the care required to help those in need for materialistic reward.

Whilst in an interview with the Republic at the 11th Annual Delegates Conference of the General Nurses Group in Kumasi, he spoke further on the matter: “Nursing Ethics in the 21st Century, Challenges and the Way Forward."

He said that nurses lack the required selflessness and desire to help those in need. A study conducted highlighted that a large percentage of nurses currently practicing in Ghana had not wanted to join the profession initially. Worryingly, the study shows how nurses often go into the profession because of the sparse working alternatives available to them; it is a final and singular option for many.

Mr. Kwaku Asante asserted that this minority of nurses, who are not wholly committed to the profession, contaminate the sector and give the discipline a bad name.

According to him, there should be checks and balances at nursing training schools on ethical conduct, whilst measures are taken by the government to provide adequate resources for training. He suggested that another solution was for authorities to lower admission intake and focus on the nurses who are wholly committed to their patients and ethical conduct.

Taking a moment to discuss the Ebola disease, Mr. Asante assured the public that Nurses and Midwives will do everything possible to ensure safety for their patients if the virus is to spread to Ghana.

He advised professionals to remain resolute and confident in their leadership and to continue lobbying the government and their employer for the provision of necessary equipment to ensure protection for frontline careers.