CONGRATULATION CHIEF NURSING OFFICER for 37 years of distinguished service to the Ghanaian community.
For 37 years of nursing care in Ghana, good leadership, unwavering commitment, tenacity, drive and devotion towards quality health care delivery in Ghana. Your achievement and success is an inspiration for dreaming more, learning more, doing more, you are indeed a leader. You have really contributed your quota to the development of the Nursing profession in Ghana. We thank God for your life. You have shown that leadership and learning are indispensable to each other. After serving her generation through principled nursing care and distinguished leadership, Mrs. Mary Boakye will be retiring on the 6th May, 2021. Mrs. Mary Boakye is thankful to God for His unfliching and unfailing mercies throughout her period of 36 years of work. Indeed! God has being faithful to her, still strong at 60, but as Shakespeare said " the world is like a stage with entrace and exit" when it is time to exit, you do so honourbly, you have shown and projected the light of the profession and your true Christian values. Mrs. Mary Boakye would want to thank all nurses and midwives, Nurse Managers, and all health and allied health professionals in her region and various places where she worked for their support and encouragement. Special compliments to Madam Alice Adam Braimah, Madam Judith Addoquaye, Madam Grace Mary Adzaklo and Madam Cordelia Yeboah Yeboah for their unwavering support.
She is happily married to Mr. Ransford Kojo Boakye, and they are blessed with four strong children. She is a Christian and worships with the Living Spring Assemblies of God church, Abesim. She is a counselor, a good communicator, good listener, has good sense of judgement and conflict resolution skills. She is very relational and can not end a conversation without inspiring you. Her hobbies are singing, reading the Bible and watching christian movies.
Mrs Mary Boakye completed Yendi Secondary School in the year 1980 in the Northern Region of Ghana. She continued to Tamale Nursing Training from 1981- 1984, and had her rotation at the Tamale Teaching Hospital for a period of one year. She proceeded to the Komfo Anokye Nursing Training for her midwifery course from 1985- 1986. She worked at Tamale regional hospital till 2005. She came to the Sunyani regional hospital as the Obstetric and Gynaecological ( O& G) Unit supervisor from 2005 to July, 2009. By dint of her hard work and meticulous leadership, she was assigned to the Goaso Government Hospital as the Nurse Manager ( MATRON) from July, 2009 to February 2012. She went to Goaso as a Principal Nursing Officer ( PNO). She had her promotion to the rank of Deputy Director f Nursing Services ( DDNS) in 2011 whiles in Goaso. Through encouragement from the administrator of the hospital, Mr.Tanko Iddi, coupled with her resilience and determination, she pursued BSc in Public Health and Allied Science from the Catholic University College of Ghana, Fiapre from 2010 to 2012. Combining the work of a nursing manager, a mother and a wife with schooling, travelling from Goaso every week was such a herculean task. Success really demands focus and discipline. She has also taken a course in Health Administration and Management from GIMPA from February to March, 2010. She was the nurse manager ( MATRON) for Sunyani Municipal hospital till her appointment as the CHIEF NURSING OFFICER ( CNO) for the then Brong Ahafo region in December 2018.
Mrs. Mary Boakye will bow out of active service on the 6th May, 2021 having served in the position of the Chief Nursing Officer for little below 3 years. It has being the vision of Mrs. Mary Boakye to see Nurses empowered through strong and ethical leadership in order to improve upon patient care. Mrs. Mary Boakye believes that if nurse leaders and managers are empowered enough to be the voice of patients, the community and the entire nation as a whole, our country would experience a greater wave of health developement. Whiles in office as the Chief Nursing Officer, she was able to organize the Nurse Managers workshop for all Nurse managers in the Bono and Ahafo region. She was able to organize infection prevention workshop as well, familiarization tour to across her jurisdictional area in order to have a touch with the grassroot workers. Mrs. Mary Boakye has contributed her part to the development of Nursing and Midwifery profession in Ghana and her legacy lives on. May the good Lord bless and keep you as you go on retirement.
Why did you choose Nursing as a career? It was my childhood dream. It was love and passion for the weak and the vulnerable that motivated me. I saw Nursing as a medium to encourage, inspires hope in the sick and to show care to people who need love and care most, the sick. What has being your motivation for all these years?
Apart from God, my husband and best friend, Mr. Ransford Kojo Boakye has being a great anchor. Worthy of acknowledgement is Mr.Tanko Iddi- administrator of Goaso Government hospital who really encouraged me to take the course in Public Health, Dr. Emmanuel Teviu - Former Medical Superintendent of Goaso Government Hospital. I also want to thank one Mr.Peter Yeboah, Dr. Dery who is now on retirement previously of the Sunyani Municipal hospital, not forgetting the renowned gynaecologist Dr.J.B. Fordjour. I would also like to thank Dr. Kofi Isaah - Director of Family Health, Dr. Amo - Kodie - Bono Regional Director of Health Services & all executive Council members, Director of Nursing Services - Mrs. Eva Mensah & all regional Chief Nursing & Midwifery Officers. How can I forget Mr. George Annoh who gave me enough administrative support during my tenure as the Chief Nursing Officer.
And to Rev.Jefferson Kwasi Agbotro- who always made sure that my ideas and visions are shared with the general public through his media platforms , his leadership & management advices made my tenure a memorable one.
You have all played a key role in my life.
God bless you all.
What is your messages to the Nurses and health care professionals and all who are reading your story?
Discipline, focus and determination is key to achieving heights in any field of life. I am encouraging leaders to have listening ears, not be bossy over the people they are leading, be encouraging and inspire their followers to be the best that they can. Managing people is a very difficult task, leadership and management demands special skills and competencies, being open to leaning and being versatile will go a long way to set you apart. YOUR ADVICE TO INCOMING NURSING LEADERS? I will urge all nurses, nurse in charges, supervisors, and nurse managers to build their leadership capacity and competence now. The best time to prepare for leadership is now, read, and deveope your leadership acumen, get to understand management and policy issues. For you can only advocate for your team and subordinates if you have the right information and skills. The love and passion for her work is worthy of emulation, money was never the motivating factor for people like Mrs Mary Boakye. She has paid her due to mother Ghana and she needs to be appreciated, honoured and celebrated once she is alive. 37 plus years of nursing care and still strong and Young is worth celebrating. To God be the glory for the great things He has done with your life.
Thank You all for your support once again.
Bravo !!!!
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Jefferson Agbotro Kwasi- jak
MSC OD
ODCP
ODCC
Health Advocate
Founder & CEO, FOHAGHANA
www.fohaghana.org
+233 249727900