Mr Michael Yidana Mantamia, the Principal of the Nursing and Midwifery Training College (NMTC) at Zuarungu in the Bolgatanga East District of the Upper East Region, has admonished graduate nurses and midwives to exhibit high levels of professionalism in healthcare delivery.
He urged them to be compassionate, caring, professional and always remember their core mandate of providing quality care for patients whose needs should be of paramount importance to them.
“As a College with quality, integrity and service as our hallmark, we commission all graduates to get into the world, guided by the core values of the College which has brought great respect and admiration to the institution by all its peers, and I have no doubt that when you go by same, you will succeed in all your endeavours,” he said.
Mr Mantamia gave the advice when he addressed the maiden graduation ceremony of the College and the 11th, fifth and 18th matriculation of Registered General Nursing (RGN), Post Nurse Assistant Clinical and Nurse Assistant Preventive (NAP) Midwifery and Nurse Assistant Clinical (NAC) students respectively.
The ceremony was on the theme: “Quality nursing and midwifery education: The role of stakeholders.”
Mr Mantamia said the College received over 1000 applications and admitted about 30 per cent of them, and indicated that out of 271 RGN officially admitted, 92 were males and 179 females.
He said a total of 226 NAC students made up of 36 males and 190 females with 16 Post NAC and NAP students, were admitted, while 202 graduated with various certificates in nursing programmes from the College.
Considering the concept of Universal Health Coverage by 2030, which reflected the Sustainable Development Goals, Mr Mantamia urged the graduates to play their roles towards the achievement of the concept, wherever they found themselves.
“Every Ghanaian everywhere should have access to quality healthcare, and this is not achievable without competent nurses and midwives with the right attitude, skills and knowledge.
“It has been said that the same Ghanaian nurses are excelling outside the country, and yet same nurses seem not to be performing so well attitudinally in their own country Ghana,” he said.
Mr Mantamia told the graduates that they were “Competent and fit for purpose,” pleaded and admonished them to help in building their own country, even as they considered lending their support to that of other countries.
Alhaji Mahama Asei Seini, the Deputy Minister of Health, said matriculation signified the start of a new chapter for the students as they embarked on their educational journey and gained independence, while graduation was a symbolic celebration of hard work, dedication and academic achievement.
He assured the trainees that the government was doing everything possible to effect payment of their training allowances, saying, “By next week, the first piece of the allowance will be paid and rest in the subsequent months.”
Alhaji Seini said the government would continue to grant financial clearance to recruit newly qualified staff for permanent postings to health facilities to meet the needs of the ‘Agenda 111’.
He said with the establishment of the Ghana College of Nurses and Midwives, government would continue to grant study leave with pay to deserving staff, especially in deprived areas to further their education.
“It is hoped that this will continue to serve as incentive and motivation to staff, while ensuring quality patient care,” the Deputy Minister said.
Mr Stephen Yakubu, the Regional Minister, said the government was working with the World Health Organisation to streamline the migration of critical health staff to other countries, while the conditions of service of staff and work environment received due attention.
GNA
