NTC increases intake of student nurses

Accra, Dec 22, GNA - The Korle-Bu Nurses Training College (NTC) has increased intake of student nurses for the 2005/2006 academic year to 220 students to help fill up the gap created by the exodus of professional nurses to the developed countries.

The figure, representing an increase of about 59 per cent of its enrolment for previous academic years, was the highest intake since the College was established in 1945.

Mrs Elizabeth Atta-Fynn, Principal of Korle-Bu Nurses Training College, made this known during the matriculation ceremony of the College in Accra on Thursday.

She said the brain drain of nurses had given cause for the training of more professional nurses to take-up the health care delivery in the country, describing this year's intake as "unique to enhancing the health care in the country".

Mrs Atta-Fynn said the recent rise of indiscipline in society had not left the profession untouched, outlining attitudes such as lateness to lectures and to clinical areas, absenteeism, refusal to do assignments and insubordination as some of the acts of indiscipline of students.

She described nursing as a "therapeutic process involving a mutual interaction of the nurse, the client and his family, collaborating for maximum health potential," and not the performance of skills and techniques.

She urged students to combine obedience and self-discipline with God fearing, to be able to overcome the numerous challenges and make a difference in their professional career.

"Remember that nursing is challenging and that the thrill of being a nurse does not come from high adventure, but from the privilege of making a difference in someone's life," she said. Mrs Atta-Fynn, however, cautioned that the College would not hesitate to discipline any student, who flouted the rules and code of conduct of the profession and advised students to stay within the defines of the College's regulations.

Dr Yaw Antwi-Boasiako, Director of Human Resource, Ministry of Health (MOH), announced that the Ministry was at the final stages of securing a University Diploma accreditation for the College. He said the Government was doing all it could to enhance the quality of nursing in the country, adding that the current cost of training for each student stood at 72.5 million cedis and, therefore, "students are now made to sign a mandatory bond with the Ministry to serve for a specific period after completion of their programmes before they could be on their own".

He said this was one of the measures by the Government to minimize the brain drain and retain health professionals in the country and should one breach the agreement, a penalty made up of the computation of the refund of the total cost of training at a current interest rate would be required. 22 Dec. 2005.