Few individuals embody the spirit of service and transformative leadership quite like Mr. Devine Kporha, Ghana’s National Best Nurse/Midwife of the Year for 2023. His name, once associated solely with the Ketu South Municipal Hospital in the Volta Region, now resonates across the country—and beyond—as a symbol of bold compassion and relentless commitment to public good.
Kporha’s recognition by the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association is not just an accolade for clinical excellence. It is a national salute to a nurse whose humanity and initiative have reshaped lives. Confronted with the stark realities of rural healthcare—scarce water, poor sanitation, and under-equipped facilities—Kporha did not stand back. He stepped in as a catalyst, a fundraiser, and a relentless advocate for lasting change.
Among his most impactful achievements is the establishment of a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at his hospital—an undertaking born not from grants or government directives, but from his own vision and perseverance. Securing $42,000 AUD through the Australian High Commission and a Mental Health and Wellbeing Foundation, he outfitted this sanctuary for premature and critically ill newborns with state-of-the-art equipment: incubators, ventilators, and radiant warmers. Countless lives have already been saved—and futures secured—through this initiative.
But Kporha’s reach extends beyond hospital walls. He provided clean drinking water to a community that had gone dry for over a decade. He built a 10-seater lavatory for individuals affected by leprosy, restoring dignity and combating the scourge of open defecation. These interventions were not incidental; they were transformative acts of citizenship.
Since his days as a student nurse in 2016, Kporha has operated with a spirit of volunteerism that many only speak of. He’s written proposals, raised funds, and filled in the gaps government budgets often overlook. As he puts it: “My humanitarian activities and volunteerism are the secrets that won me the award.” But they’re more than that—they are blueprints for how one person can shift the destiny of an entire region.
In honoring Mr. Devine Kporha, we spotlight the vast potential within Ghana’s nursing and midwifery profession—not simply as caregivers, but as architects of equity and progress. His legacy redefines leadership: rooted not in title, but in tangible impact; not in hierarchy, but in humanity.
Mr. Kporha reminds us that one pair of hands, when guided by purpose, can heal a nation. He is a person you should know—not just for the lives he’s saved, but for the way he’s changed the conversation around what healthcare workers can truly achieve.
