The attention of the leadership of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has been drawn to a Memorandum of Understanding signed between the Ghana Health Service and the Youth Employment Agency for the re-introduction of the modular six month training of community Health Workers (zoom Nurses).
The leadership of GRNMA States as follows:
- The International Council of Nurses defines a nurse as a person who has completed a program of basic, generalized nursing education and is authorized by the appropriate regulatory authority to practice nursing in his/her country. Basic nursing education is a formally recognized programme of study providing a broad and sound foundation in the behavioural, life, and nursing sciences for the general practice of nursing, for a leadership role, and for post-basic education for specialty or
advanced nursing practice. The nurse is prepared and authorized to
(a) engage in the general scope of nursing practice, including the promotion of health, prevention of illness, and care of physically, mentally challenged, and disabled people of all ages and in all health care and other community settings;
(b) to carry out health care teaching;
(c) to participate fully as a member of the health care team;
(d) to supervise and train nursing and health care workers and auxiliaries; and
(e) to be involved in research. (ICN, 1987).
- The GRNMA is very unhappy about the constant effort of stakeholders including successive
governments, to adulterate the nursing profession. We therefore call on all stakeholders and the general public to desist from attaching the name “nurse” to any under trained person who attains a six-month training or less and parades himself or herself as a nurse.
- Nursing is a noble profession and it takes a required period of theoretical training and practice as stipulated by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Ghana (Regulatory Body) to become a Nurse.
- There are unemployed nurses and midwives of all categories (Certificate, Diploma and Degree
holders), privately and publicly trained, numbering around fourteen thousand, who are awaiting government employment. Therefore, instead of committing new funds to train community Health Workers (zoom Nurses), those funds should be channeled into the issuance of Financial Clearance to absorb those awaiting employment who have the requisite skill and knowledge to help the
country in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
- In view of the above, we call on government as a matter of urgency to halt the re-introduction of the community Health Workers (zoom Nurses).
- With the third wave on and still ravaging Accra, Kumasi and other cities, we call on all and sundry to adhere to the COVID -19 protocols especially the wearing of face mask, social distancing and
constantly sanitizing hands to curtail the spread of the virus.