Professional Nursing Training body to deal with ‘admission contractors’
The Health Training Institutions Secretariat (HTIS) has warned that it would dismiss any employees of health training institutions who collect money from unqualified students to ostensibly secure them admission.
Mr Christopher Beyere, the Executive Secretary of HTIS who gave the warning, said aiding unqualified students to gain admission to nursing training institutions undermines efforts to ensure professionalism in the nursing profession.
He was speaking at the opening of the Fifth Biennial Delegates Congress of the Nurse Educators Group (NEG) in Tamale, on Tuesday.
The four-day event under the theme: “Professionalism in Nursing and Midwifery Education”, was to enable members of NEG to share issues of interest as well as to elect new executives to steer the affairs of the group.
Mr Beyere said reports indicated that activities of “admission contractors” were becoming an entrenched practice making students with poor grades gain admission to the institutions thereby denying qualified students admission.
He sounded the warning that the HTIS would not hesitate to dismiss any employee of nursing training institutions who engaged in such practice saying: “If those who are to ensure professionalism engage in this practice, how can we ensure professionalism in the nursing profession?”
He also criticised the practice of “protocol admission”, saying that system of unfairness must stop.
Mr Alhassan Mohammed Sorogudoo, the District Chief Executive for Sagnarigu, who represented the Northern Regional Minister, said the Government was committed to addressing the challenges facing the nursing profession.
He entreated nurses to continue to work for the betterment of the country.
Mr Samuel McCarthy, the Chairman of NEG, complained about the new grading of health tutors where their professional titles were taken off and asked that their professional titles be restored to avoid the unnecessary deductions being made from their salaries.
Dr Michael Wombeogo, the Head of Department of Community Health and Clinical Skills of the University for Development Studies, urged nurses to adhere to the standards and regulations of nursing to ensure professionalism.
Dr Wombeogo said he was unhappy that the nursing profession was not being given its right of place in terms of recognition, and urged nurses to continue to upgrade themselves to be assertive in the profession in terms of decision making.
NEG is a body of professional nurses and midwives under the umbrella of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association.
Source: GNA