The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) wants certificate and diploma nursing programmes in the country to be elevated to degree level.
The Association is therefore proposing for a cancellation of all nursing education programmes below a degree level.
It says the initiative will propel the country’s healthcare and address the challenges in the sector by providing more qualified and professional nursing workforce.
Describing the current system as “bizarre”, Vice President of the GMA, Prof. Ernest Yorke, who made the call indicated that the uncertainty in the three different entry levels into the nursing and midwifery profession has now seen the career being hijacked by these auxiliary nurses, contributing almost 60% of the workforce.
“We think that the majority must be degree-prepared. We have to cancel certificate programmes, we have to cancel diploma programmes, and train nurses and midwives at the degree level,” the Professor noted on Accra-based JoyNews Wednesday, July 17, 2024.
He noted that Ghana possesses the capacity to train nurses and midwives with first degree, drawing comparisons with West African counterpart, Nigeria, where all registered nurses and midwives have at least first degree.
“We have the human resources and the schools so we can do that,” he affirmed.
He stressed the need for the auxiliary nurses who constitute more than half of the workforce in the profession to enhance their qualifications.
Preparing all nurses at the baccalaureate level, Yorke believes, will significantly improve maternal health indicators, supported by research on the effectiveness of a highly skilled nursing workforce.
He reassured that current certificate and diploma holders would not be left behind.
“If we cancel the training of diploma and certificate, we can upgrade the knowledge of those who are here,” Yorke explained, adding that there available courses to help these auxiliary nurses to upgrade their skills.
The GMA’s proposal represents a bold move towards elevating the standards of nursing education in Ghana, aiming to create a more competent and professional healthcare system in the country.
Source:onuaonline.com