What if they
get guinea worm, bilharzia, snake bite? And you tell community health nurses
that they don't have condition of services it only in Ghana oooo” Elaine Afful,
a community health nurse writes on facebook with the following pictures.
The Community Health Nurses Association
of Ghana (CHNAG) on Monday May 30 this year declared a nationwide indefinite
strike which began Tuesday May 31.
At a press conference held at the Ghana
International Press Center here in Accra, the President of the association, Esther
Bamfo, cited the change of name from Community Health Nurse to Nursing
Assistant as the last straw that broke the camel’s back.
“The name ‘Community Health Nurse’ 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,” she said.
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’s
requirement after the completion of their course, was unacceptable.
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.
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.
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 intimidating challenges in the
remote communities where they provided health care.
“Our 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 recognized by other stakeholders in
healthcare delivery. This is unacceptable,” he said.
Meanwhile, these are the same people who
work in the most deprived areas providing health education and assistance to
the residents.
They could have offered much better services
to these patients and residents if they have been given equal opportunities to
upgrade themselves since they go to the grassroots.
I also think the number of patients that
troop into bigger hospitals will decrease if community health nurses are
allowed educational upgrade as other registered nurses are.
Some Community Health Nurses take the
risk, board canoes pushed with outboard motors, traveling over an hour for
weighing services.
For the love of the job, some also
travel on motorcycles to villages where vehicles cannot reach for immunization projects.
Others ride motorcycle, fuel it
themselves to nearby villages whilst on duty.
I can authoritatively say that
Nkyenenkyene Health center located in the Kwahu South District of the Eastern Region
has only one working motorcycle that the nurses use as means of transport to
Odotom, Mmem, Tadieso among other villages to carry out assignments.
The nurses have no other option than to
sit on the bike in pair with the rider adding up to three because; 1. It is
very difficult to go transport a single nurse to the village twice due to the
porous road network.
2. There is not enough money for fuel.
Though there are other motor bikes at
the facility but have broken down and could not be maintained.
I am sure some of the top officials of the Ghana Health Service has ever ride on motorcycles before and will never go to some of these villages on bike.
I can also tell none of the past and present minters of Health will and has ever agree to travel on canoe without live jackets on even water in a pool, more talk of a river.
But many of these ones have been courageos enough to goo that mile.
Why should they be vindicated to that extent?
Oh God.
The Community Health Nurses furnish you with the statistics, whilst you take the glory from World Health Organization(WHO), United Nation of Children Emergency Fund(UNICEF) among other iternationally recognized organizations.
With the help of Community Health Nurses, polio has been kicked out of Ghana.
They are gradually doing same to Tuberculosis(TB), Malaria among other killer diseases.
They deserved to be pampered but yet they are the least treated in the Ghana as health is concerned.
This is not fair. Anyway, the world itself is not fair.
Why is Health Ministry and the Nurses and Midwifery Council finding it difficult to grant them their only two wishes? What is the big deal about his?
As the Ghanaian old adage goes, "Your foul eats your onions to better your soup taste". [Direct Twi translation]
Moreover, One should never rub bottoms with a porcupine (Akan)
A word to the wise.......
We can do better
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Hwenebobo Newsstand
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