By Joyce
Danso/Gifty Amofa, GNA
Accra July 19, GNA – Ghana requires not less
than 4,000 Critical Care and 3,000 Peri-Operative Nurses (PON) to meet the
country’s holistic medical care demand, Dr Kwaku Asante-Krobea, Principal of
the School of Peri-Operative and Critical Nursing, Korle-Bu has said.
Dr Asante-Korbea said the global health
coverage and other health goals would not be achieved unless Nurses and
midwives who make up to 75 per cent of the health sector professionals’
workforce globally were supported and empowered.
“Nurses and Midwives are often undervalued and
we believe we could make a bigger contribution if we are enabled to work to the
limit of our competence having acquired specialised education.”
Dr Asante Krobea was speaking at the first
graduation ceremony of 50 Peri-Operative and 47 Critical Nurses respectively at
Korle-Bu in Accra on Thursday. They were awarded with Bachelor of Science
Degree in Nursing.
Under Peri-Operative Nursing (PON), four
students obtained first class, 42 obtained Second Class Upper and four obtained
Second Class Lower. Mr Mallet Kojo Gbogblorvor was adjudged the overall best in
PON.
Five students also obtained first class in
Critical Care Nursing (CCN) while 38 obtained Second Class Upper and four had
second class lower. Cecilia Asiama Yeboah was adjudged the overall best student
in CCN.
The University of Cape Coast, awarded them
with the Degrees certificates.
PON and CCN are specialised nurses who provide
quality service and care delivery in operating theatres and intensive units of
medical facilities.
Touching on the theme “Confronting the
challenge of healthcare with Nursing Specialisation: projecting Peri-Operative
and Critical Care,” Dr Asante-Krobea
said the country could not continue to rely on the skills of more basic skills
as against insignificant few specialised skills to achieve appreciable Universal Health Coverage.
He said literature had suggested that clients
seeking health care everywhere were safer in the hands of “well educated
nurses.”
“If we can apply our skills of actively listening
to individuals, getting a sense of their individual needs, constraints and
desires, higher education becomes a sine-qua-non.
“We need to work on many fronts, and it is only
a focus-driven academic preparation that will meet the emerging trend.”
According to him patients’ needs kept changing
over time and nurses needed to embrace a strong health promotion approach.
He said currently the World Health
Organisation, global health agenda endorsed the rights and privileges’ of all
individuals to receive health care information pricelessly if possible.
That agenda, he said imposed a great
responsibility on persons who possesses the skill and knowledge to deliver
health care information to persons requiring it.
“Considering the fact that health care information
is a right and a privilege, I dare challenge professionals in health care to
rise up against the challenge by seeking continuous education.”
Dr Asante Krobea recounted that it was
responsibility of government to strengthen and invest in nursing and midwifery
for health institutions to have a triple impact of promoting health, advance
gender equality and strengthen local economies.
“The long term goal is to raise the profile of
Nursing and Midwifery globally, makes it central to health policy and decision
making to ensure that Nurses and Midwives can use their skills, education and
training to their full capacity.”
Such a positive action from government will
engender public confidence in the slowly dying health system,” Dr Asante-Krobea
said.
He therefore appealed to the Ministry of
Health to expand the school’s existing infrastructural edifice in order to
procure more class rooms, laboratories, electronic libraries staff offices and
accommodation.
Dr Asante-Krobea said school was ready to
partner with relevant stakeholders to enable staff of the school to build the
needed capacity through enrolment in Doctoral Programmes.
“We still uphold the tenacity to collaborate
with some countries in Africa to train their practicing Nurses to acquire specialisation
in PON and CCN. This academic year, again, foreign students would be
enrolled.’’
He announced that school was currently in
partnership with the National Blood Service to produce degree-prepared nurses
who would work in various capacities within the Service where specialists would
be required.
Dr Asante- Krobea was elated that for the past
20 years, the school had produced 1,000 Peri–Operative and Critical Care
Specialists in the country.
He congratulated the students bracing the
storm through dint of hard work in order to achieve high academic laurels.
Madam Tina Mensah, Minister of Health in a
speech read on her behalf noted that pursuing a specialisation was not only
beneficial for career advancement but also for shaping the future of health
care system.
The Minister said task of ensuring universal
health coverage as enshrined in the SDG’s, required the contribution of
specialised nursing.
“My plea to our graduands is that their impact
should be felt by patients. Let clients project you by the testimony they give
as a result of the unique services they receive.”
According to her, that would require good
interpersonal relationship and good communication and feedback with patients at
every point of the health delivery chain.
The Minister further tasked the graduands to
practice within the confines of the law and maintain high professional
standards at all times.
GNA