Upper East Community Health Nurses Training School in crisis

Bolgatanga, July 31, GNA - The Upper East Community Health Nurses Training School in Navrongo is facing financial crises which could affect the school's programme and the admission of the next batch of students, Ms Rofina Asuru, Principal of the school has said.

In a statement to the press in Bolgatanga, Ms Asuru explained that the school was established with the expectation that the district assemblies and communities would sponsor the training of the students so that they would in turn serve their communities after school.

She said, however, that the idea of the school, which was accepted by all with enthusiasm and good promises, has not translated into the expected financial assistance to keep the school going.

"It is a miracle that we have managed to survive through one academic year but things are now getting out of hand," she said. The Principal, therefore, appealed to all district assemblies and other stakeholders to cooperate and contribute their quota towards the running of the school.

She further explained that, the establishment of the school in the Region was based on the need to share the cost of training nurses with district assemblies and communities, and also to ease the burden of financial commitment by the government in funding boarding schools "however, responses from the assemblies are discouraging," she said.

She said: "It was thought to be a direct and timely response to the need to find sustainable means of providing and training adequate numbers of good and well motivated health staff to provide services to under served and hard-to-reach communities."

The school, which is the only community health nurses training school in the Region, was opened last October with 50 students and is now preparing to interview 75 applicants for the next academic year.