Ministry of Health signs MoU for new courses in nursing, midwifery

Ministry of Health (MOH) and John Moores University of Liverpool (JMUL) in the United Kingdom, on Friday signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to introduce short courses and degree course for the nurses and midwives in the country.

The courses are for Bachelor, Masters and PhD Programmes.

Mr Joseph Mettle-Nunoo, Deputy Minister of Health, signed for the Ministry while Professor Godfrey Mazhindu, Dean of Faculty of Health Science signed for the University.

He said introduction of the courses would provide opportunity for clinical specialisation for nurses and midwives to upgrade themselves for an efficient health service.

“The courses would explore an innovative way of retaining clinical staff by making it attractive with remuneration,” he added.

Mr Mettle-Nunoo said the MoU was appropriate, especially when Ghana was in critical need of nurses and midwives to address health challenges confronting her.

“Nursing and midwifery professions constitute about three quarters of health workers and the training would build a clinical workforce that would respond to peculiarities of the issues at hand”.

Mr Mettle-Nunoo pointed out that the agreement would facilitate educational and exchange programmes between the two countries in the form of study visits as well as help in collaborative research projects and other forms of cooperation of mutual interest.

He noted that the University was one of the strategic institutions of higher learning in the UK whose potential ought to be constantly tapped to address challenges of the nation

Mr Mettle-Nunoo commended authorities of the University for their cooperation, and expressed the hope that the relationship would enhance developmental structures between the two countries.

Professor Mazhindu, who was also the leader of the delegation, commended the Government for the initiative and expressed confident that the two institutions would work within the terms of the agreement.

Funding of the courses would be negotiated between the two institutions to enable the nurses and midwives to upgrade themselves locally in Ghana and those who could afford to pay for the tuition to travel to Liverpool for the training.

Mr George Kumi Kyeremeh, Chief Nursing Officer of the Ministry of Health, said the current challenges in the nursing and midwifery profession had necessitated the need to develop and improve requisite competencies in clinical practice, leadership, research, and carrier progression.

He said both local and international frontiers would be explored in order to harness available potentials to meet the objectives of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).

Mr Kyeremeh said a team was invited to Liverpool on July 13-17, this year to interact and explore the possibility of partnership on some areas of cooperation between the University and MOH which had resulted in the signing of the MOU.

It was witnessed by Mrs Elizabeth Ncgough, Head of Standards, Enhancement and Partnerships, Faculty of Health and Applied Science and Mr Chris Edwards, Business Development Manager for International Directorate, John Moores University, UK.

Source: GNA