Some of the fresh students admitted into the school. Inset: Daniel Atta-Tuffour
NURSES IN the country have been advised to accept postings to rural areas to save precious lives as their noble profession seeks to achieve.
Daniel Atta-Tuffour, Principal, Kwadaso SDA Nursing Training College in Kumasi said people in rural areas also paid taxes towards the upkeep, training and allowances that government paid to nurses whilst in school.
He said it was therefore important for nurses to accept relocation from the big cities to rural areas to offer medical care to these people.
?Nursing is a special calling to save the lives of people, irrespective of their social, financial, tribal, or religious background,? he added.
Mr. Atta-Tuffour gave the admonishment during the college?s 8th matriculation ceremony themed ?Improving the Performance of Nursing/Midwifery Students in Licensing Examination; The Role of Stakeholders.?
Considering the heavy workload in rural areas, he observed that the few nurses that accept postings there usually acquired more knowledge notably in practical aspects of the job than their colleagues in the cities where competition was high.
He suggested that the relevant authorities rotate the nurses posted to the villages at least every four years saying ?at least all nurses should taste life in the villages.?
Mr. Atta-Tuffour charged nurses to be more dedicated to duty, and polite to patients and their relatives to help protect the good image of their noble profession.
Currently, the school has a student population of 635. This year, a total of 935 applications were received by the school out of which 265 were accepted.
The principal cited lack of infrastructure, inadequate buses to ferry students for academic work, lateness and absenteeism as some major problems confronting the school, calling on the populace to help.
On her part, Dr. Victoria Bam, former Head of Department, KNUST School of Nursing, called on nurses and midwives in the country to intensify their hard work in their quest to save lives.
She also called for improvement in the teacher/student ratio at nursing training colleges to enable teachers better impart knowledge to students.
FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi
