Nursing and Midwifery Council still waiting for report before disciplining nurses over Amissah death

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) says its hands are tied on disciplining nurses over the death of Charles Amissah, a hit-and-run victim, until it gets hold of the official report on the matter.

A committee led by Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa investigated the case and recommended sanctions against two nurses, Akosua Turkson and Joy Daisy Nelson. It said both should be referred to their institutions and to the Nursing and Midwifery Council for disciplinary action.

But the Council says it has only received a letter from the Ministry of Health instructing it to act, not the committee's actual report.

Philomina Woolley, the Council's Registrar, explained the situation to Parliament's Health Committee during a visit.

"We received the letter from the Ministry of Health to sanction the nurses. However, we cannot sanction the nurses without reports from the committee, so we wrote back to the Ministry of Health to furnish us with the reports, and that is where we are. We are yet to receive a response from them," she said.

Without the report, she said, the Council has no basis on which to act.

Dr Mark Kurt Nawaane, Chairman of the Health Committee, said he believes the report will reach the Council soon.

"The committee's report is with the Ministry of Health; it's being assessed. There's a referral to them and very soon the document will get to them. The last time we were with the Medical and Dental Council, they had received it. So I'm hoping that within a matter of time the one involving the nurses will also be received," he said.

For now, the recommended disciplinary action against the two nurses remains on hold.

-classfmonline