Lyceum nursing school closed down

Achiase (Ash), Sept 10, GNA - The Nurses and Midwives Council of Ghana has directed the immediate closure of the Lyceum Nursing Training School, a private nursing institution at Achiase near Barekese in Ashanti for operating illegally.

Miss Veronica Darko, acting Registrar and Chief Executive of the Council, announced this to newsmen after an inspection of the school's facilities on Friday.

She said the school owned by Professor David Amon-Kotei, a private medical practitioner, started operating four years ago and that upon hearing reports about its illegal operation, the Council in 2003 wrote to the Director to close it down.

She said in 2004, the Council informed the school authorities of its intention to conduct an inspection of facilities there so as to guide it to take a decision on the school's accreditation but the director refused to allow the inspection.

She said sometime this year, the Council received reports that two trainees had completed their nursing course at the school and gone to the Lawra Hospital in the Upper West region to do their clinicals. The acting Registrar indicated that the deplorable conditions at the classrooms, library and demonstration rooms did not qualify the school for accreditation.

Miss Darko said the Council is ready to support private individuals to open more nurses' training school to train more nurses for the health delivery in the country.

Meanwhile, three private nursing institutions, Premier School of Nursing in Kumasi, Western Hill Nursing School at Ofankor in Accra and the Narh-Bita School of Nursing had been given accreditation by the Council to operate.

During the inspection, the director of the school, Prof Amon-Kotei was not present and the letter of the closure was handed over to Mr E.K. Amoako, a tutor.

Prof Amon-Kotei refused to comment on the directive by the Council when contacted.