Buses Are For Students, Not Funerals

The Minister of Health, Dr. Benjamin Kunbuor, has warned principals of health training institutions to desist from using their school buses, meant to enhance academic and extra-curricular activities, for funerals to the detriment of their institutions. �Don�t turn school buses into funeral buses or use them for your in-laws� funerals to the neglect of the purpose for which they are intended,� he said, when presenting a 30- seater bus to the Health Assistants Training School (HATS) at Wa in the Upper West Regional. Dr. Kunbuor noted that it has been a general practice for institutions and individuals to abuse public transport by using them for purposes other than what they were originally intended for and stressed the need for people to put a stop to the practice. The Minister urged that the buses be used judiciously for clinical activities of students, outreach and practical programmes to equip students with the requisite knowledge and skills to provide quality health care delivery services to the public. He announced plans for the establishment of more health training institutions to train various categories of nurses while exiting institutions were resourced and equipped to enable them to produce more efficient and effective health personnel. The Upper West Regional Minister, Mahmud Khalid, expressed delight at the provision of the bus which he described as vital for the promotion of effective and sound academic work. Mr. Khalid reiterated the need for the bus to be put at the disposal of students to carry out more practical and clinical activities to enable them to gather enough experience and skills to render quality services. The Upper West Regional Director of Health Service, Dr. Alexis Nang Beifubah, thanked the Ministry of Health for the presentation and gave the assurance that the Regional Health Directorate would monitor its use for the promotion of academic work. Dr. Kunbuor made a similar presentation of two 33-seater buses and 20 computers and accessories to the Bolgatanga Midwifery School and the Nurses Training College, reports Ibrahim Mohammed. Dr. Koku Awoonor-Williams, Upper East Regional Director of Health Service thanked the Minister, UNICEF and the World Bank for their support.