Koforidua Nursing College Cries For Assistance

Mrs Doreen Osae-Ayensu, Principal of the Koforidua Nursing and Midwifery Training College, has appealed to the Ministry of Health to resource the college. She said the college, among other things, require equipment at the skills acquisition laboratory to improve performance of the students. Speaking at the 12th Matriculation ceremony of the College, Mrs Osae-Ayensu said despite optimal inputs by the tutors into the training of the students, last year graduates did not perform well due to lack of equipment at the skills acquisition laboratory. She described the facilities of the college, especially the laboratory equipment, as woefully inadequate. Mrs Osae-Ayensu said the college was established in 1964 with two different management entities of the various programmes till 2008 when the two, General Nursing and Midwifery, were merged. In all 178 students were matriculated after being selected from over 3,000 applications with 72 pursuing the midwifery programme, while the rest were pursuing the general nursing programme. Ms Hannah Owusu Boateng, Vice Principal of the school, who took the matriculants through the matriculation oaths, reminded them that they were chosen from among thousands of equally qualified candidates and must therefore live up to the task. She advised them to abide by the rules and regulations of the school. Mrs Boateng urged them to promote the image of the profession by exhibiting professionalism even as student nurses at the various hospitals, and to work hard to justify their admission. Mr Lawrence Odartey Lawrence, Programme Coordinator of the Training Institutions of the Ministry of Health, said apart from the infrastructure deficit, the tutors ration to the training of skilled professionals was not the best. He disclosed that the Ministry was actively working on E-learning platforms for the training schools and in collaboration with other stakeholders to stock all skilled laboratories with the needed equipment to enhance teaching and learning.