The Nursing and Midwifery Council (N&MC) has begun the implementation of the quota system for the training of new nurses in both private and public nursing training institutions in the country.
The N&MC, following two separate engagements with heads of the 75 accredited nursing training institutions, came up with the allocation of the number of nursing students each school can take for a particular academic year.
“The Nursing and Midwifery Council of Ghana would like to respectfully inform you of the admission quota for the 2017 admissions to nursing and midwifery training institutions. This follows discussions held in Koforidua on June 27, 2017 on the subject matter,” a circular issued by the council to the training institutions and signed by its Registrar, Felix Nyante, stated.
Calculations from the document indicate that the new directive will reduce the overall intake of new nursing students by over 1,500 students for this academic year. The figure represents over 20 percent decrease in the intake of nursing students in both private and public training institutions.
Private Institutions
The implementation of the new system has had a mixed effect on private nursing training institutions, in that while the overall quotas increase for private nursing training institutions by 38 students, a number of the private institutions which admitted higher numbers of students have had their intake reduced.
The Pentecost University, for instance, admitted 96 students last year but can only take 35; the Presbyterian University College in Asante Akyem, which enrolled 92 students last year, has been given 57 this year; the Garden City University from 59 to 35; the Central University from 68 to 56 and the Premier School of Nursing from 100 last year to 60 this year.
Christian Service University College in Kumasi from 40 to 35; Nuemann College, 44 to 35; Presbyterian Nursing & Midwifery Training College, Agogo, 120 to 91; Presbyterian Nursing & Midwifery Training College, Dormaa, 90 to 71,
Some private nursing training schools, on the other hand, had the quota system offering them more students than they admitted last year.
Golden Sunbeam College of Science & Technology, for example, will be admitting 22 students this year from five last year; Bimaks College of Business and Health Sciences in Agona Swedru, 14 to 35; Narh Bita from eight to 35 for its degree programme and 44 to 58 for its diploma programme; 20 to 82 for Western Hills School of Nursing; West End University College, 29 to 59; Hopkins Health Training Institute, three to 18; Wisconsin International University College, 29 to 35, and Withrow College, four to 20.
Ghana Baptist University College, Kumasi, 11 to 20, Ghana Christian University College, six to 15, Presbyterian Nursing Training College, Bawku, 89 to 101; Royal Ann College of Health, four to 20, St Karal School of Nursing, Weija, Accra, 29 to 41; Western Hills School of Nursing, 20 to 82; KAAF University College, Kasoa, 19 to 35; Methodist University College, Ghana, 38 to 39 and Nightingale School of Nursing, Adenta, 39 to 53.
Public Institutions
The public nursing training institutions, however, had the largest cuts in the number of students they can admit for the 2017/2018 academic years, with the cut in admission figures ranging from 10 to more than 100.
Ntotroso College of Nursing has its last academic year admission figure of 235 cut to 82; Dunkwa-on-Offin Nursing and Midwifery Training College, 250 to 109; Ho Nursing Training College, 183 to 108; Korle-Bu Nursing and Midwifery Training College, 245 to 153; Kwadaso Nursing Training College, 254 to 152; Tamale Nursing Training College, 210 to 111, and Keta Nursing and Midwifery Training College, 137 to 77, Nursing & Midwifery Training College, 37 Military 140 to 120 and Nursing & Midwifery Training College, Kpembe, 114 to 78.
Others are Cape Coast Nursing Training College, 229 to 91; the University of Cape Coast, 100 to 75; University for Development Studies, 123 to 97; University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho, 125 to 80; University of Ghana, 97 to 95; Valley View University, 98 to 95; Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), 77 to 73 and Nursing & Midwifery Training College, Koforidua, 118 to 101.
Others are Nursing and Midwifery Training College, Ashanti Mampong, 131 to 114; Nursing and Midwifery Training College, Atibie Kwahu, 74 to 69; Nursing Training College, Bolgatanga, 130 to 110; Nursing Training College, Tachiman-Krobo, 121 to 73; College of Health Sciences, Yendi, 150 to 93; Saviour Nursing Training College, Osiem, 100 to 98; Holy Family Nursing & Midwifery Training College, Berekum, 161 to 122; Holy Family Nursing & Midwifery Training College, Techiman, 120 to 100; Holy Family Nursing & Midwifery Training College, Nkawkaw, 70 to 67; Nursing Training College, Jirapa, 161 to 90; Nursing & Midwifery Training College, Kumasi, 150 to 130; Nursing & Midwifery Training College, Maase Offinso, 168 to 65 and Nursing & Midwifery Training College, Zuarungu, 721 to 128,
Nursing Training College, Damongo, had an increase from 96 to 102, as well as the Nursing and Midwifery Training College, Asanta, 65 to 75 and Nursing Training College, Lawra, 31 to 65.
N & MC’s Response
Nana Agyemang, Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the NMC, explained the rationale behind the quota system to DAILY GUIDE, saying that this would ensure the highest quality of health professionals for the country.
According to him, the council conducted an assessment to ascertain whether the quality of nurses and midwives trained matches the demands of the healthcare delivery sector which concluded that more nurses than what the country can afford to engage are being trained.
He said the country already has a backlog of unemployed graduate nurses, therefore, the council projected the number of nurses that will be graduating in the next two to four years and using a software generated the number of new nursing students that each institution can train to augment numbers that will be needed in future.
“We looked at the quality, equity and capacity issues in the allocation of quotas to the institutions, each school takes according to its capacity,” he stated.
Mr Agyemang mentioned that the quota will be reviewed by the council yearly to adjust to new infrastructure development of the schools.
“Our doors are opened to private institutions for further consultations so we all get on the same page as far as the quota system in concerned,” he added.
The WHO nurse to patient ratio is pegged at least 40 nurses for every 10,000 population but Ghana’s statistics is 22 nurses for every 10,000 people.
An assessment by the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association revealed in June this year that Ghana will need not less than 38,000 nurses and midwives to bridge the nurse-patient ratio.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri