'My life has been better since I abandoned Ghana for UK'

A Ghanaian nurse working in Birmingham has shared her remarkable journey and how her life has transformed since she swapped Ghana’s health system for UK’s National Health Service (NHS).

Nana Yaa – not her real name – decided to pursue her career in Britain to explore new opportunities and earn more to cater for herself and her family. Yaa said she always dreamt of making a difference in the healthcare field and providing better care to patients.

In an interview on the Citi Breakfast Show on Thursday, August 3, Yaa said the meagre salary made it difficult for her to fulfil her true potential.

Determined to change her life and make a meaningful impact in her profession, She took the bold step of relocating to the UK to create a brighter future for herself and her family.

According to her, she has been able to save enough money since relocating and urged other nurses who want to swap Ghana’s hospitals for foreign ones to take the chance and leave.

“You are paid based on shifts. So even if you are paid 15 pounds an hour and you work for 12 hours a day, four times a week, you multiply it that’s how much you earn. If I make 2800 pounds a month and I pay a tax of say 500 and pay my rent, I can still save around 800 pounds.”

Her comments come after the BBC reported that Ghana’s health system was struggling due to the “brain drain”.

Many specialist nurses have reportedly left the West African country for better-paid jobs overseas.

In 2022 more than 1,200 Ghanaian nurses joined the UK’s nursing register.

This comes as the National Health Service (NHS) increasingly relies on staff from non-EU countries to fill vacancies.