Award-Winning Nurse Naomi Ohene Oti on Investing in Healthcare in Ghana

Global Recognition for Nursing Excellence

• 🌟 Naomi Ohene Oti, an Oncology Nurse Specialist from Ghana, has been honored with the Aster Guardians Global Nursing Award.
• 🌍 This award celebrates the extraordinary contributions of nurses worldwide, recognizing their resilience, dedication, and potential.
• 💡 Oti views the award not just as personal recognition but as a platform to highlight the capabilities of nurses globally.

Daily Work and Global Impact

• 🏥 As Head of Nursing at Ghana's National Radiotherapy, Oncology, and Nuclear Medicine Centre, Oti supervises and provides direct patient care, specializing in complex cancer cases and administering chemotherapy.
• 🤝 She also actively contributes internationally as an oncology nurse expert, advocating for cancer nurses' voices and leading capacity-building programs.
• 📈 Oti has been instrumental in developing competences for cancer nursing in Africa and previously served as vice president for an African organization focused on cancer research and care.

Healthcare Challenges and Improvements in Ghana

• 📉 While healthcare in Ghana has improved, significant challenges remain, particularly the 'brain drain' of nurses migrating due to economic hardship.
• 🌐 Efforts are underway to achieve universal health coverage, with initiatives like training specialists and decentralizing cancer care services to other teaching hospitals.
• 🎓 The Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives is empowering nurses with advanced skills to retain them and enhance their contributions.

Advice for Future Nurses and Policymakers

• 🌱 For aspiring nurses, Oti emphasizes that nursing is a social justice mission requiring knowledge and dedication, irrespective of a patient's background.
• 💰 She urges governments and stakeholders to invest in nursing, citing the WHO strategy, to improve health outcomes and strengthen the healthcare system.
• 🛡️ Protecting nurses' safety in the workplace is crucial for them to deliver quality patient care and achieve better health outcomes, as highlighted by international reports.