Nurses, Midwives Launch Dev. Plan

THE Director of Human Resource Development at the Ministry of Health, Dr Ebenezer Appiah-Denkyirah, has called on the Nurses and Midwives Council (NMC) to organise continuous in-service training for their members to enable them to meet the demands and challenges of the time.

Dr Appiah-Denkyirah made the call here when he launched a five-year strategic plan developed by the council last Friday.

The plan, which is the first in the 36-year history of the council, aimed at providing quality service, creating wealth through health and reducing poverty as enshrined in the Growth and Poverty Reduction Strategy (GPRS II).

Dr Appiah-Denkyirah commended the council for coming up with the strategic plan which he said, would serve as a model for other regulatory bodies and agencies under the ministry.

The plan is also to address some of the challenges facing the body.

The Registrar and Chief Executive of the council, Rev. Veronica Darko, enumerated their challenges as inadequate staffing, and the increasing number of schools and students without corresponding increases in resources.

Additionally, she lamented the lack of material and financial resources and the poor conditions of service which the plan seeks to address by the year 2012 to make the council a 'globally acclaimed nursing and midwifery regulatory body'.

Rev. Darko appealed to the Ministry of Health to expedite action on the completion of the office accommodation of the council which started in 2005.

She said though the project was scheduled for completion in August 2006, 'it is nowhere near completion.

'We had hoped that the launch of this strategic plan would coincide with the commissioning of that office complex. Unfortunately, this could not happen,' she said.

Earlier in her welcome address, the outgoing chairman of the council, Ms Kathlyn P.O. Ababio, commended the members for developing the five-year strategic plan.

She said the launch marked the beginning of a long and arduous journey adding that even though she would not be directly involved in its implementation because her term has almost ended she would give her support to the in-coming council.

'I would be closely monitoring the implementation of the plan wherever I find myself and would surely chip in pieces of advice as and when necessary,' she said.

Awards were presented to deserving employees and members of the council for their support and dedication.

The occasion was also used to launch the council’s website. Members of the 12th council were also sworn into office.