The leadership of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) is calling on the government to as a matter of urgency put measures in place to ensure that nurses and midwives who have received their first dose of the AstraZeneca vaccines receive their second doses.

Expressing their worry over the likely implications that will come from the delay of not taking the second jabs after several months of taking the first, the leadership of the association said it wants the government to see to it that they are attended to as early as possible.

Ashanti Regional Chairman of the association said this at the Nurses and Midwives week celebrations in Kumasi where he called on the government to prioritize the health of nurses and midwives.

“Nurses are at the forefront of the fight against the virus. It is very important we are protected. Just last week, we lost a pregnant nurse. It is very important for the government to urgently inoculate all nurses and midwives with the vaccines.”

The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association in January 2021 disclosed that 20 of its members in the Ashanti Region had been infected with COVID-19.

The Association at the time said it feared if the trend should continue at its current rate, the region’s healthcare system would be badly affected.

Ashanti Regional Chairman of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association, Jones Afriyie Anto in a Citi News interview called on the government to intensify public education to help reduce the spread of COVID-19.

“The hospitals are spending a lot in supplying PPE to staff for the work. The truth is that since this second wave, we have over 20 nurses and midwives who have been reported as positive. If the trend continues like that, it means that those nurses will not be available for work. Apart from that, their contacts are going to be traced and asked to isolate. Most of the contacts are going to be nurses and midwives. So they will also not be available for work. It is really burdening our work system, and it is affecting us.”