Kufuor inspects projects at WASON

Essiama (W/R), Aug. 17, GNA - President John Agyekum Kufuor on Tuesday inspected on-going Highly Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) funded projects at the Word Alive School of Nursing (WASON) at Essiama in the Nzema East District.

The projects were 52-room students' hostel estimated at 3.7 billion cedis to accommodate 208 students and a block of 12 classrooms estimated at 1.6 billion cedis.


The inspection formed part of President Kufuor's four-day tour of the Western Region.


Addressing tutors and students of the school, President Kufuor said the country was in the process of development and all hands needed to be on the deck.


"The meagre national resource are used to train our professionals, only for them to leave for greener pastures after their training." He, therefore, appealed to health personnel to have conscience and sacrifice for the development of the country, by staying at home to help Ghanaians in the difficult parts of the country and not to join the brain drain.


President Kufuor pledged the Government's commitment to support and improve the conditions of service of nursing tutors to improve on the current tutor-student ratio of 1:55 to 1:25. Mrs Sabina A. Bilson said the school, which started with only 25 students now had 218 students.

She said an additional 150 fresh students would be admitted by October this year, adding that the project, which was started in May 2004, is 90 per cent complete and would be used in October. She said there was the urgent need for a new hostel for male students and teachers' quarters to make teaching and learning effective and convenient.


Mrs Bilson stressed that currently only four full-time and five part-time tutors and appealed for more teachers. "There is the need to adopt new measures of motivation for nurse educators to retain and keep more young nurses in the profession and in the classroom," she said.


Awulae Agyefi Kwame II, Omanhene of Nsein, at a durbar, expressed the appreciation of the chiefs and people of Nzemaland to President Kufuor for appointing several people from the Western Region into his Government.


He said the Guira - Banso; Nsein- Alabokazo-Beyin; Axim - Telekubukazo roads were either impassable or swampy and posed a danger to motorists.


Awulae Kwame said the fortunes of the Eikwe Hospital were directly connected to the roads and urged the Government not to delay in awarding the roads on contract for reconstruction and rehabilitation. The durbar was attended by a large number of people including chiefs, women, men and children.