60% of Health Workers In Accra Want to Quit

Ghana’s healthcare system is facing a potential crisis as a shocking new study reveals that nearly 60 percent of health workers in Greater Accra are thinking about quitting their jobs.

The alarming findings, published in the journal Heliyon, showed that 59.8 per cent of doctors, nurses, midwives, laboratory staff and other health workers surveyed said they were considering leaving their current jobs.

Researchers from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) surveyed 495 workers across 10 public and private hospitals and uncovered troubling reasons behind the growing frustration.

According to the study, health workers battling long working hours, chronic staff shortages and even physical attacks at work were the most likely to want to throw in the towel.

Workers who believed their departments were understaffed were 40 percent more likely to consider quitting, while those forced to work overtime were 26 per cent more likely to seek greener pastures.

Even more disturbing, health workers who had been physically assaulted on duty were significantly more likely to want out.

Support staff topped the list of workers most eager to leave.

The researchers warned that excessive workloads and unsafe working conditions are pushing many health workers to breaking point, leading to burnout, stress and job dissatisfaction.

However, health workers who enjoyed at least eight (8) hours of sleep a day were less likely to think about quitting, highlighting the importance of rest in coping with workplace pressures.

The researchers are now urging health authorities to act fast by recruiting more staff, reducing overtime, improving security at health facilities and introducing staff wellness programmes.

Failure to address these concerns, they warned, could trigger a major exodus of health professionals and place even more pressure on Ghana’s already stretched healthcare system.