It’s tragic to read the news and find out someone has lost her life in her line of duty. It’s even more worrisome if such deaths are a result of a broken system―one that affects everyone except perhaps the protected politicians who travel in convoys that could stop a war.
Such is the story of Nafisa, a Ghanaian nurse who went to procure drugs for her facility and lost her life in a gory motor accident. A mother of two―she got happily married about two weeks before her demise, with her budding career still ahead of her.
The Ghana healthcare system sent her out on that motorbike. A Ghana Health Service Official remarked: “If not for the medical logistics she came to transport from Gwollu, she probably would not have died.” Yeah, right!
Apparently, the many questions to be asked won’t bring her back, but they must be asked anyway. First, how was she the one procuring drugs on a motorbike in the first place? Second, what were the safety measures put in place for her—a gentle be careful? Third, who allowed this to happen many times before the unfortunate incident? The questions run deeper than the depths of the ocean. But I don’t think many Ghanaians were surprised upon reading or hearing the news.
Of course, we would be sad about the incident, but similar incidents happen with some regularity, therefore draining every modicum of surprise. If going to work in this country feels like being in a war zone where you end up fighting for your dear life, then the leadership has failed in every measure. And that’s the reality the late nurse and many other Ghanaians who work in such conditions face every day. Yet don’t be surprised to see the swift move by the powers that be in an attempt to react to the situation and promise lasting solutions that end up being dead before arrival. We have seen it before, we have seen it many times, and nothing will happen.
We are not a proactive country, we are reactive at best. A proactive country would provide every necessary equipment to facilitate healthcare. A reactive one gives reassurances every darn time. Guess which one we excel at.
The Geneva Excellence
In other news, the president of the Republic, John Mahama, made Ghana proud on the global stage once again. He delivered a stunning speech to the audience and the world at the 79th World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, on 18th May, 2026.
I mean, what’s more to discuss about his communication prowess. He strewed wisdom and left nuggets of reasoning in everybody’s mind―those that would linger for a very long time. But as the cliché says: remove the log from your own eye before removing the one from your neighbor’s, we dive into some bits and pieces of his speech, juxtaposing them with Ghana’s situation.
First, he said, “Let us not let reform be a ceiling.” He further stated, “Let us invest in execution. The world does not need more communiques. It needs deal rooms, local factories, and resilient supply chains.” Brilliant.
Now, in reference to the above, our dear president asked for local factories and resilient supply chains which I agree with on a global scale. But back at home, a nurse is herself the supply chain―on a motorbike, no less! She took the initiative and did not wait for deal rooms or communiques. She simply strapped the medical supplies to her back and became a one-woman factory of guts. The only thing that was not resilient enough was her fragile soul. So, Mr. President, next time you ask for investment in execution, maybe specify: not execution in line of duty.
The Measure of Success
Second, he spoke on the true measure of success in healthcare. “Let us measure success by the clinic and not the conference. The only metric that matters is whether a child in the Global South has a reasonable chance of survival as a child in the Global North,” he said.
Hard to disagree with this as well as the world has over the years, seen huge discrepancies in the quality of healthcare in underdeveloped and developing countries as compared to their global friends at the other end of the spectrum. Now, let’s apply what our president said back home by measuring our success by the clinic. Bravo! But which clinic though? The one where the supplies almost arrived? Or the one where no-bed-syndrome is a diagnosis?
The nurse’s motorbike was the “clinic” that fateful day. She was the only resident health worker providing healthcare to her community.
Let’s measure our success not just by the clinic but by how happy and safe our health professionals are at their jobs, and by the number of lives they save every day. For a healthy nation is a wealthy nation unless we don’t believe health is indeed wealth in this country.
Also, he spoke about the emerging healthcare systems, which he said must be driven by cooperation and responsibility that is shared instead of dependence on aid. The president says the new order is defined by “agency, not aid.” Agency is great. But an agency without infrastructure is just suicide with good intentions. Ghana needs a massive healthcare system facelift and the onus lies in the hands of leadership and the healthcare providers as well to achieve that. Now that’s cooperation and responsibilities.
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The Shade
Finally, we end with one of Mahama’s numerous proverbs on the day. He quotes: “One who plants the tree does not always sit in its shade.” True. But our nurse planted no tree, she was crushed under one. Or rather, under the weight of a broken system. The reforms we discuss today will be shade for generations we’ll never meet. But the nurse’s family will have a void that will exist forever. So let’s plant the trees by fixing the Ghana healthcare system, the roads, the economy, and everything in between. And maybe, just maybe, put the “care” back in healthcare, starting with letting healthcare professionals work in safety and happiness, not only on sacrifices.
The Brewed Satire.
Disclaimer: Article is well and truly exaggerated for a comedic effect. Thanks for your attention to this important matter. TBS.
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