File photo of some nurses
Dr. Damien Punguyire, the Upper West Regional Director of Health, has urged nurses and midwives to accept posting to rural and deprived areas where their services are most needed.
He underlined the need for fair distribution of health professionals and expressed deep worry about the situation where some nurses, midwives, and other health personnel would simply not want to serve in some areas.
Dr. Punguyire was speaking at the 2021 awards ceremony of the Upper West Regional chapter of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) held in Wa.
In all, 70 nurses and midwives in the region were recognized with Mr. Ali Adam from the Wa East District adjudged the regional best nurse.
“Rediscovering the ethics of nursing, a step to nursing the people of Upper West to health” was the theme chosen for the event which, brought together health workers from across the region.
Dr. Punguyire said the refusal of some health personnel to accept posting to some parts of the region was not helpful to efforts at making sure that everybody had access to quality health care services and it was to help reverse the situation that incentive packages including study leave and capacity building were being given to those in these areas.
“The GHS is also developing capacity building to ensure that as you are working in the rural areas, your skills are enhanced to be able to deliver quality health services to the people”, he added.
Madam Phoebe Balagumetime, the Nadowli-Kaleo District Director of Health Services, said nursing was a noble profession and urged the practitioners to uphold their professional ethics.
Their ethics provide for the protection of both the patient and the nurse.
Madam Phoebe expressed anger at what she said were the issues they were having “with our dressing code, poor communication, substance abuse, and alcoholism. These are unpleasant and trample mostly on the patient/client’s rights.”
Mr. Lawrance Bagrmwine, the Upper West Regional Chairman of the GRNMA, said the regional branch of the association had made a mark in the recognition of hard-working nurses and midwives over the years.