At a news conference held in Accra, the President of the association, Mrs Esther Frimpomaa Bamfo, cited the change of name from Community Health Nurse to Nursing Assistant as the last straw that broke the camel\u2019s back.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe name \u2018Community Health Nurse\u2019 has been a household name so far as preventive health care in Ghana is concerned and we cannot understand why it should be taken away from people who have been trained in Community Health Nursing,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Impediments to career development<\/strong><\/p>\n The news conference, which was attended by regional representatives of CHNAG, also highlighted a myriad of challenges confronting the association, including impediments to career progression by its members.<\/p>\n Mrs Bamfo contended that the decision by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) to issue Nursing Assistant certificate to their members, who were admitted by the Community Health Nurse\u2019s requirement after the completion of their course, was unacceptable.<\/p>\n \u201cWe do not understand why such major decisions could be taken by the NMC without involving the CHNAG. We want to state that we do not want to be called Nurse Assistants. In fact, we have suffered discrimination, unfair treatment and frustration for far too long and will not relent in our decision to lay down our tools indefinitely,\u201d she stated.<\/p>\n She said very little opportunity was given to members of the association to upgrade themselves in an era where healthcare delivery was fast changing and required constant upgrading of knowledge and skills.<\/p>\n According to her, some of its members had to serve for nine years without being given study leave to upgrade themselves, while those who completed access courses at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) were barely given the opportunity to pursue diploma courses.<\/p>\n The National Secretary of CHNAG, Mr Godsway Delima, who also spoke at the conference, said there was a general disregard for Community Health Nurses who faced daunting challenges in the remote communities where they provided health care.<\/p>\n \u201cOur members in rural communities use their own resources to buy motorbikes in order to facilitate data collection in hard-to-reach-areas. But, we are least recognised by other stakeholders in healthcare delivery. This is unacceptable,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n –<\/p>\n<\/div>\n By: Frederick Awuni\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Registered General Nurses and Midwives in the Upper East Region say the ongoing\u00a0strike by community health nurses across the country, is affecting healthcare delivery at various CHPS compounds and health centers in the region. They are thus\u00a0urging authorities to quickly resolve the issues to avert severe\u00a0implications particularly for new-born babies, pregnant and lactating mothers. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[19,11],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n