PUC expresses worry over state of private school nurses

The Presbyterian University College (PUC) has expressed worry over the state of private school nurses and urge the government to consider the contribution of the private tertiary schools in its policies.

According to Reverend Professor Emmanuel Adow-Obeng, President of the PUC, some ministers of state had made public pronouncements to suggest that job placement of nurses trained in private institutions should not be the burden of government.

That, he said was unfortunate and added that even though they had not received any official communication to that effect, “there appears to be some truth in it because our information is that nurses from the public institutions have been cleared by the ministry of finance for employment, except those from private institutions”.

Speaking in an interview with the GNA at a matriculation ceremony of f the first batch of students of Masters of Education programme, at the Akuapem campus, Prof Adow-Obeng noted that even the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) institutions could not employ private school nurses.

He said an assessment by the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwifery Association showed that Ghana needed not less than 38,000 nurses and midwives to bridge the nurse patient ratio and therefore questioned the rationale for the discrimination.

The President, who is a Reverend Minister of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG), said the PCG had made notable contributions in the provision of healthcare provision mentioning the Agogo, Donkorkrom and Bawku Presbyterian hospitals.

He indicated that in the light of these “it would be very unfair for graduate nurses of the Presbyterian University College, to be denied placement in hospitals established by its mission”.

In his view the placement of nurses should be based on competence, commitment; dedication to duty and hard work which trained nurses from the private institutions especially the PUC were equipped with.

He therefore called on government to rescind that decision.

He mentioned Ms Sandra Akpobome, a student from the department of nursing from the PUC, who emerged the best candidate in the whole country in the registered general nursing licensing examinations conducted by the nursing and midwifery council in 2015 as an example.