Ghanaian Nurse Based in the UK Loses His License To Practice for Reportedly Sleeping on Duty
- A young Ghanaian nurse has triggered reactions on social media after news emerged that he had lost his licence to practice in the UK
- A nurse who shared the Fitness to Practise Committee report indicated that his colleague had lost his licence for sleeping during his shifts
- Social media users who took to the comments section of the post have shared varied opinions on nurse losing his licence over the issue
- A Ghanaian Spain-based Nursing Assistant said sleeping on duty is a serious offence in Europe, unlike Ghana, and stressed nurses can request leave instead.
A Ghanaian nurse, Eric Ofosuhene, who relocated to the UK to practice, has been declared unfit to continue working in that country.
This came to light after a report from the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s Fitness to Practise Committee was made public.
Source: UGC
A Ghanaian nurse who shared the document on TikTok lamented that his colleague had lost his licence to practice after being found to have slept on duty on numerous occasions.
“Apparently, he had been caught sleeping on duty seven times,” he said.
He expressed concern, stating that the Nursing and Midwifery Council in Ghana needed to enforce its professional rules more firmly.
Source: Getty Images
He also bemoaned that in the case of this disgraced Ghanaian UK-based nurse, he was sleeping on duty during his time in Ghana and felt he could replicate the same behaviour while working in the UK.
At the time of writing the report, the TikTok video had more than 1,000 likes and over 100 comments.
Reactions to Ghanaian nurse's dismissal in UK
Netizens who took to the comments section of the video shared their opinions on the unfortunate issue.
Aduanahemaa Akua Agyeiwaa commented:
“You will go to a night shift with a staff or senior nurse, and he or she will leave everything in your care while the person is supposed to guide you. You can’t complain. I don’t wish them bad, but they have to stop that. They sleep at 10 pm and wake up at 6:30 am. Eiii, why didn’t you sleep in your room?”
Yaw Kyei Sarpong stated:
“The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has been very reluctant in enforcing its policies, rules, and regulations. This has led to a loss of public confidence in nurses and midwives across the country. To restore trust, the NMC should create a clear and accessible system for the public to report any form of unprofessional behaviour, discrimination, or violations of the code of conduct by nurses and midwives.”
Shekyena wrote:
“Some senior nurses in Ghana behave as if they only like night duties because they sleep and leave the work for their juniors and rotation nurses. They sleep at 10 pm and wake up at 5 am and say they came for a night shift. Ghana apuuu.”
Papa Sarkwah added:
“Ghana NMC is the only institution that will ask you to pay an amount and later reduce it but will not give you your balance. Chairman, they cannot because of these things.”
Son of Africa added:
"That’s has always been my point, only the NMC Ghana can fix a lot of nurses in Ghana to make nursing attractive to the Ghanaian general public.
Ghanaian Nursing Assistant in Europe reacts
Ghanaian Spain-based Nursing Assistant, Helena Abubakari, has reacted to the ordeal of the Ghanaian nurse whose licence was revoked in the UK for sleeping on duty.
She noted that the rules governing healthcare in most European countries are very strict and highlighted what could have been done to avoid such a harsh decision against him.
She said:
"Sleeping on duty as a nurse practitioner is a strict no-go and can easily cost you your job. We are literally the foundation of patient care, and losing focus by sleeping could put lives at risk. However, if one is depressed or overly stressed, it is possible to request a few days’ leave to recover properly. Depression and burnout are taken seriously, and there are laws that protect and support staff in such situations."
"Compared to Ghana, certain situations could be pardoned, but in Europe, they treat it very seriously as an offence."
QueenLet urges Ghanaian nurses to move abroad
Earlier, YEN.com.gh reported that QueenLet, a Ghanaian gospel singer living in Germany, had encouraged Ghanaian nurses to relocate.
In an interview, QueenLet said jobs for nurses abound in Germany and further indicated that salaries for nurses there are also lucrative.
Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
