The award winners in a group photo with the dignitaries
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (N&MC) has held a virtual induction ceremony for 49,576 Nurse Assistants, Nurses and Midwives who passed the 2019 and 2020 licensing examination conducted by the Council.
The online ceremony was the first to be held by the Council and was streamed live via the Council’s YouTube Channel and its Facebook page.
For the 2019 batch, a total of 25,145 qualified practitioners were inducted. They constitute 8,903, nurses 5,515 midwives, and 10,727 nurse assistants.
For the 2020 batch, a total of 24,431 practitioners comprising 11,624 nurses, 6,350 midwives and 6,457 nurse assistants were inducted.
Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, addressing the practitioners, in said the health system in the country is critical for national development and the vision of the government is to ensure the right to health for all Ghanaians is guaranteed through an established health sector with the sustainable ability to deliver affordable, equitable and easily accessible health care.
“Over the next four years, we have set ourselves to focus on health promotion and prevention as part of primary health care through the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC), ”he added.
He also noted that the government will work towards bringing health promotion and prevention as part of primary health care under the NHIS which will continue to be free for children, the elderly, and other vulnerable groups.
“We shall review and overhaul healthcare financing to reduce the turnaround time of claims management to the barest minimum, and ensuring the sustainability of the NHIS scheme,” he added.
Administering the Induction Oath to the newly qualified practitioners, Chairperson of the IC Governing Board of the Council, Rev. Veronica Darko, advised the newly qualified practitioners to make hard work a fundamental pillar in their profession as they are entering one of the most difficult, diverse and demanding professions.
She noted that Nursing and Midwifery is a profession of trust and the competence they exhibit will always earn them an entry into the job space but it will take their professionalism to sustain and rise through the job.
The Registrar of the Council, Felix Nyante also encouraged the new practitioners to maintain strong professional values like selflessness, empathy, integrity and truth if they are going to be prosperous in their profession.
He urged them to participate actively in continuous professional development programmes, postgraduate programmes and specialization.
Director of Health Services at the Ga North Municipal Health Directorate, Dr. Gloria Magaretta Chandi, who gave the Word of Advice said the core responsibility of the profession is to protect the clients.
“Always ensure your client is safe. I do not understand nurses who think they are doing their clients a favour. In our code of conduct, anything that befalls a client in your care is your responsibility whether or not you were instructed by another professional or not.
My dear Inductees, do not talk harshly to people. Rather show respect and concern,” she charged them.
She also reminded the practitioners to maintain their professional knowledge and competence at high standards at all times.
“Keep on learning, read around your patient’s diagnosis and be on top of your game. You need to teach and mentor others. You need to take the best decision in favour of your client. You are their advocate.
As we bring the year of the nurse and midwife to a close, make up your mind to lift the banner of nursing high. It is not too late to be to the Florence Nightingale you vowed to be,” she said.
Eighteen awards were presented to deserving practitioners who excelled in the licensing examinations for both academic years.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri