The Deputy Upper West Regional Minister, Hon. Amidu Issahaku Chinia has called on all professionals in the Nurses and Midwifery profession to emulate the the shining example of Florence Nightingale and be more professional in how they handle the sick in the health facilities.
Hon Chinia said this while addressing health professionals on behalf of the Regional Minister Hon. Dr. Hafiz Bin Salih at the Climax of the 2019 Nurses and Midwives week celebration in Wa on 18th May, 2019.
The Minister added that, Health professionals should also be more friendly to the relatives of Patients so that people who visits our health facilities would be happier and can appreciate the good work nurses and Midwives do on daily basis.
He noted that, nurses and Midwives are pivotal to the success of every health system in the world and that without them, no health system can effectively function.
“This is especially so in health facilities in rural areas where their are no doctors or physician assistants, and nurses or midwives have to play multiple roles to manage cases that are brought before them. Some of you are good and you handle such situations well on daily basis for no special reward but your pay as a nurse or midwife”, he explained
Hon. Chinia noted that, government was taking steps to improve the finances of health facilities in the country and that it has cleared most of the debts that was accumulated under the National Health Insurance Scheme. He said, government has also increased the tariffs by twenty percent to help address the funding challenges the scheme is currently faced with and ensure regular payment of claims to facilities.
The Minister indicated that government has given clearance for the recruitment of health professionals such as doctors, nurses and Midwives and that the Regional Health Administration has completed the recruitment process of nurses, midwives, nurses assistants and community health nurses and was currently posting them to various Districts of the region to begin work.
He assured them that government was ready at all times to work with the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwifery Association, the nurses and Midwives Council, and all relevant bodies to improve the working conditions of nurses and nurses trainee.