Decision to stop training of nurse assistants reversed

The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) has made a u-turn in its intended decision to stop the running of the Nurse Assistant Clinical (NAC) and Nurse Assistant Preventive (NAP) programmes in all of its training institutions effective 2019/2020 academic year.

Signed by the Registrar of the NMC, Mr Felix Nyante, the letter said the council as a follow up has noted the unintended consequences of the contents of the earlier letter.

The council issued the letter barely 24 hours after Graphic Online's publication on the discontinuation of the two programmes.

The letter was captioned “Re: Suspension ofthe Nurse Assistant Clinical (NAC) and Nurse Assistant Preventive (NAP) programmes” and was dated July 5, 2018 and copied to all deans, heads and principals, nursing and midwifery training institutions (NMTIs).

It said “Accordingly, the letter is hereby withdrawn until further notice”, it said.

On Wednesday, July 3, 2018, Graphic Online published a story in which the NMC had issued a policy directive, advising the various training institutions to “plan towards the folding up of these programmes if your institution is currently running such programme(s).”

Related: Nurse assistant clinical and preventive training programmes to be suspended in 2019

Earlier statement

The NMC’s earlier directive dated June 28, 2018 and issued in consultation with the Ministry of Health (MoH) and the Ghana Health Service (GHS) was according to the council aimed at strengthening the degree and diploma awarding programmes in Nursing and Midwifery to improve the standard of nursing and midwifery practice.

The earlier directive explained that the decision was arrived at following the outcome of a desk review meeting held by the MoH, NMC, GHS, the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG), teaching hospitals and other stakeholders.

It said statistics showed that there were adequate numbers of NAC/NAP practitioners in the health sector and that the position was affirmed during a forum by the MoH in Koforidua, this year, to review the country’s human resource needs for the various cadre of nurses and midwives in the country.

Writer's email: rebecca.quaicoe-duho@graphic.com.gh