‘Nurses deserve better pay and specialist training’ – Aster award winner Naomi Oti

Naomi Oyoe Ohene Oti is a Ghanaian nurse and educator. She works at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital. Recently, she won the 2025 Aster Guardian Global Nursing Award.

Ohene Oti has called for more investment in nursing education. She also wants better pay and support for specialist training in Ghana. On June 6, she spoke on the Citi Breakfast Show about these issues.

She highlighted that many nursing trainees pay for their own education. “Quality healthcare is a right, not a privilege,” she stated. She urged stakeholders to assist with training and create incentives for nurses to stay in Ghana.

Ohene Oti pointed out that low wages drive many nurses abroad. “Nurses work extremely hard, yet their remuneration is very low,” she explained. Economic hardship forces many to leave just to survive.

She believes valuing nurses will encourage them to remain in the country. “Ghanaian nurses are excelling globally — they are trailblazers,” she said.

The award-winning nurse also encouraged more specialization in oncology nursing. She noted the growing cancer burden in Ghana, with over 24,000 cases reported annually. More than half of these patients are dying.

“There’s a lot of work, but we are taking it one case at a time,” she added. Every cancer patient deserves quality care, which requires skilled nurses.

“Nursing input into cancer control is enormous,” Ohene Oti stated. Empowering oncology nurses can help reduce Ghana's cancer burden.

In May 2025, Naomi Oyoe Ohene Oti made history by winning the $250,000 Aster Guardian Global Nursing Award. She beat over 50,000 nominees from around the world.