Health Minister Advices Nurses To Go Into Academic Research

The Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu has stressed on the need for nurses and health professionals to venture into academic research in order to remain relevant.

According to him, Ghana’s health sector is lacking in this area and cannot chalk success if concrete study into healthcare is overlooked.

Delivering a keynote address at the Induction Ceremony for Nurses and Midwives in Accra, he said: “Nursing and midwifery research is a growing field in which individuals within the profession can contribute a variety of skills and experiences to the science of nursing care.”

Mr Agyeman-Manu added “Research has a tremendous influence on current and future professional nursing practice, therefore rendering it an essential component of the educational process would be of great benefit.”

He implored the newly inducted professionals to upgrade their knowledge by going into research and ensure that their findings are published.

Quick Employment

Meanwhile, Mr Agyeman-Manu has expressed government’s commitment to ensuring that newly inducted health professionals are formally absorbed into the health system.

He said: “… this government will work hard to ensure you don’t stay home after your induction… we are pretty sure that the period where some of you will wait two or three years before you get employed would be a matter of the past.”

According to the minister, this is the only compensation government can give to this batch after years of high school fees and failure by the previous government to pay allowances.

The Induction

The ceremony brought together newly qualified nurses— Registered General Nurses, Community Nurses, Mental Health Nurses and Midwives from the Southern Belt comprising—Greater Accra, Volta Region and Eastern Region.

The inductees swore an oath to take care of the sick with all the skills they possess and to do all they can to alleviate pain and to promote health.

The Dean of School of Languages at the University of Ghana, Prof. Nana Aba Appiah Amfo and Guest of Honour urged the nurses to be truthful to their pledges adding that, it was not a conditional pledge but one that must be observed at all times.

“Your profession is not a mechanical one, it is a humane one… purpose to leave a positive imprint in the minds of your patients… don’t burn bridges, build bridges. You never know where that bridge will lead you to,” she advised.

Source: Grace Ablewor Sogbey/ [email protected]