18th Biennial National Delegates Conference of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association

The 18th Biennial National Delegates Conference of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association came off successfully at the Volta Serene Hotel, Ho from 15th to 20th November, 2021 under the theme “The Future of nursing and midwifery in Ghana; lessons from the COVID-19 pandemic”.

Delegates and Observers arrived on 15th November, 2021 (Day one) and were received warmly by the National Planning and Local Organising Committee members.

Day two, 16th November, 2021, marked the beginning of the conference business which involved a brief opening where the Volta Regional Chairman, Mr. Moses Anyigba addressed the gathering to welcome all participants to his region. The President of the Association, Mrs. Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo also gave her opening remarks to reiterate the essence of the conference and encourage all to fully participate in the discussions. It was followed with the presentation of the President, General Secretary and National Treasurer’s reports which were subsequently adopted and discussed.

The afternoon session had speakers from various fields present on varied topics which included, “Enhancing Nursing and Midwifery Practice through Research and Innovation” by Dr. Robert Kaba, “Drug addiction in contemporary Nursing and Midwifery practice: Let’s face it” by Dr. Samuel Adjorlolo and “Resilience: The key to thriving in times of adversity and uncertainty by Mrs. Comfort Ocran,

The opening ceremony of the conference came off on day three, 17th November, 2021 with various speeches amidst colourful cultural performances. A brief welcome address came from the General Secretary of the Association, Mr. David Tenkorang Twum.

The Volta Regional Minister, Dr. Archibald Yaw Letsa, who represented the Special Guest of Honour, H.E Alhaji Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, delivered a speech on his behalf.

The GRNMA President, Mrs. Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo delivered a speech touching on the need for government to scrap the certificate programs in nursing, improve conditions of service, reintroduce vehicle import tax waiver, pay outstanding covid-19 medical insurance and 50% frontline allowances. Her speech also touched on climate change, non-communicable diseases, cervical cancer, universal health coverage and the attainment of Sustainable Development Goal 3.

The Keynote address was delivered by Prof. Lydia Aziato, the Dean of School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Ghana, Legon. She emphasized the need for Ghana as a country to apply the lessons learnt in the Covid-19 pandemic to build a more resilient health system for the future. She called in stakeholders to recognize the four arms of the nursing and midwifery professions, academia, regulation, trade union and policy at the ministry of health, and not only focus on only one arm at the political/governmental level.

The opening ceremony was chaired by Togbe Ayim Adzakoto II who represented Togbe Afede XIV, Paramount Chief of Asogli State. His entourage included other chiefs and queen mothers within the traditional area.

The conference business was continued in the afternoon after the opening ceremony with presentations on topics including “Living a happy retirement; the value of Financial Independence” by Nana Sarfo, “Digitalization in the world of work; the need for a well prepared Trade Union” by Mr. Daniel Oberko and “Enhancing the welfare of Members of GRNMA, the role of leadership and members” by Mr. Austin Gamey.

Day four, 18th November, 2021 involved the continuation of conference business with the approval and adoption of constitutional amendments and presentations on the GRNMA Fund and Health Sector Occupational Pension Scheme.

An excursion to Tafiatome and Wli water falls was the day activity for day five, 19th November, 2021. The evening was more of unwinding after a long period of hard work. The usual evening supper was converted to dinner and participants had a lot of fun with dancing competition and a brilliant performance from Kapato Reigns.

All delegates and observers departed to their various destinations on Saturday, 20th November, 2021.

Leave a Reply