Abandoned health workers training school at Ho to be reactivated

Ho, May 8, GNA - Government has provided 2.7 billion cedis for the reactivation of construction works on the Health Workers Training School Complex in Ho, which had been abandoned for about two decades. Dr Arde Acquah, Volta Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) said this in a speech read for him at the induction of 70 General Nursing Diploma Students, into the Ho Nurses Training College, on Saturday.

He said the College would move to the complex within two years when classrooms, an administration block, library, demonstration rooms, quarters for teaching and non-teaching staff are completed.

Currently, the Nurses College, which was established in 1985, shares facilities with the Community Health Training School. The School of Hygiene, also in Ho, which is also to be housed within the Complex, operates in temporary accommodation.

Dr Acquah announced that the Ministry of health, the GHS and the Nurses and Midwives Council was in consultation with the National Accreditation Board for the classification of the General Nursing Diploma programme as a tertiary course.

He said this year 30 out of 450 vehicles ordered for the Health Sector had been allocated to the Volta Region and would soon be assigned to some staff.

Mrs Ruth Gyan, Registrar of the Nurse and Midwives Council, said it was important that people entered nursing as a first choice and not when other avenues failed them.

She cautioned that nurses could be held responsible for lapses during their work and therefore they must be diligent at all times.

She said the need for accommodation for doctors should not be made to negate the same need for nurses since "no Doctor is a Nurse" and that the two work as a team.

Mr James Agboada, Principal of the College, said it currently has 217 students, consisting 174 females and 43 males. He said apart form passing the Diploma of the College, students would have to pass a Licentiate examination of the Nurse and Midwives Council to be fully accepted as a professionals.