The imperative of evidence-based health workforce planning and implementation: lessons from nurses and midwives unemployment crisis in Ghana

Table 1 Expected output from Nursing and Midwifery Training Colleges, 2017—2020

Duration of training	Category of trainees	Number to be ready for employment				Cost estimates (in million Ghana cedis)—additional wage bill				Cost estimates (in million US dollars)—additional wage bill
Duration of training	Category of trainees	2017	2018	2019	2020	2017	2018	2019	2020	2017	2018	2019	2020
2-year programmes	Community health nursing	3 922	4 218	N/A	N/A	437.7	470.6	N/A	N/A	84.2	90.5	N/A	N/A
	Enrolled nursing	6 142	6 426	N/A	N/A	685.3	717.0	N/A	N/A	131.8	137.9	N/A	N/A
	Post-basic midwifery	765	854	N/A	N/A	132.3	147.8	N/A	N/A	25.4	28.4	N/A	N/A
3- or 4-year programmes	Registered community health nursing	384	922	1,290	643	66.4	159.4	223.2	111.3	12.8	30.7	42.9	21.4
	Registered general nursing	3 630	6 427	6 412	5 627	627.8	1 111.7	1 109.0	973.3	120.7	213.8	213.3	187.2
	Registered mental health nursing	351	388	1 881	1 924	60.7	67.1	325.3	332.8	11.7	12.9	62.6	64.0
	Registered midwifery	1 598	2 762	3 139	3 007	276.3	477.8	543.0	520.1	53.1	91.9	104.4	100.0
Total		16 792	21 997	12 722	11 201	2 286.5	3 151.4	2 200.5	1 937.4	439.7	606.0	423.2	372.6

Source: presentation to the Health Sector Working Group of the MOH—June 2017; data on expected graduates taken from the Nursing and Midwifery Council and salary data taken from MOH. Notes: (1) the numbers relate to the expected outputs only and do not account for existing trained but unemployed nurses/midwives; (2) estimates are based on 80% pass rate from the NMC; (3) N/A is indicated for 2-year programmes against 2019 and 2020 because admissions were yet to be done at the time of the analysis; (4) estimates for 2019 and 2020 are lower than previous years because of admissions into the 2-year programmes had not been done and, thus, not taken into consideration; (5) an exchange rate of US$ 1 to GH¢ 5.2 used based on the average exchange rate for the first quarter of 2019. The costs are adjusted for inflation assumed at the rate of 10% based on the trend of recent years.

ISSN: 1478-4491