BY Grace Zigah
A tragic road accident has claimed the life of a 32-year-old enrolled nurse, Nafisa Adama, while she was transporting medical supplies to a remote community in the Sissala West District of the Upper West Region.
The deceased nurse, who was stationed at the Kusali Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) Compound, reportedly died on Tuesday, May 12, 2026, after her motorbike collided head-on with a motor tricycle during heavy rainfall and strong winds.
According to reports, Madam Nafisa had travelled from Kusali to the district capital, Gwollu, to collect drugs and other medical logistics intended for healthcare delivery in her community.
The Kusali community is located approximately 15 kilometres from Gwollu, and the deceased was said to have been returning to the CHPS compound with the medical supplies when the accident occurred around 4 p.m.
The Sissala West District Health Information Officer, Rauf Bawa Basugu, speaking to the Ghana News Agency, explained that bad weather conditions developed midway through her journey back to Kusali.
He stated that strong winds and heavy rainfall affected visibility and movement on the road, while the rider of an oncoming motor tricycle reportedly lost control while attempting to manoeuvre through the worsening weather conditions.
The tricycle subsequently crashed into the nurse, who was transporting containers of drugs and medical items meant for patients in the community.
Madam Nafisa sustained severe injuries in the collision and was rushed for emergency medical treatment.
However, she was pronounced dead about an hour later.
The death of the young health professional has thrown the local health administration and residents of Kusali into deep mourning, especially considering the critical role she played in healthcare delivery within the deprived community.
Mr Basugu described the incident as heartbreaking, noting that the nurse had sacrificed her time and safety to ensure the community had access to essential medicines and healthcare services.
“We at the Ghana Health Service administration feel deeply saddened by her death. If not for the medical logistics she came to transport from Gwollu, she probably would not have died,” he lamented.
The late Nafisa Adama was reportedly a mother of two and had only gotten married two weeks before the tragic incident occurred.
She was first posted to Gwollu in 2023 before later being transferred to Kusali, where she became the only healthcare professional serving the medical needs of the community.
Her death has renewed concerns about the difficult working conditions faced by health workers, particularly those stationed in rural and hard-to-reach communities where access to transport, emergency response, and health infrastructure remain major challenges.
Across many parts of northern Ghana, nurses and community health officers often travel long distances on motorbikes under difficult weather conditions to transport medicines, attend to patients, and provide healthcare services in underserved communities.
