A total of 634 first-year diploma students have been admitted to the 37 Military Hospital Nursing and Midwifery Training College (NMTC) to be train in various nursing and midwifery programmes.
They consist of 407 registered nursing and 227 registered midwifery students who were admitted out of 1,706 applications received by the college for the 2023/2024 academic year.
The new students led by Dr Gwendolyn Mensah, a lecturer at the School of Nursing and Midwifery, University of Ghana (UG), Legon, swore the Matriculation Oath administered by the students during the event organised by the College in Accra on Friday.
It was on the theme, ‘Improving Competencies in Nursing and Midwifery Education through Technology.’
The Acting Principal of the NMTC, Major Bright A. Addae, in an address said the college was poised to ensure that the admitted students obtained the “scientific and ethical ground rules” in order to enable them excel in their chosen field of study.
He indicated that the excellent performance of the 200 students who sat for the 2022/2023 Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology final terminal diploma examination, the affiliation of the college to the University of Cape Coast (UCC), is to commence Bachelor of Science (BSc) in nursing and midwifery programmes, and the purchase of a school bus were also some notable achievements.
That notwithstanding, the NMTC Principal observed that the inadequate hostel facilities, lecture halls remained a challenge that is needed to be addressed.
Major Addae, therefore made a passionate appeal to relevant stakeholders and the government to come to the aid of the college in addressing the challenges to create an enabling environment for effective teaching and learning.
The Acting Principal implored the matriculants to devote more time to their studies during their stay in the College, and avoid absenteeism to get the best out of their study tour.
The Special Guest of Honour and Commandant of the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre (KAIPTC), Major General Richard A. Gyane, urged them to make good use of the technology, considering its enormous benefits.
“However, be mindful of the wrong use of technology to protect the private information of patients,” he added.
Major General Gyane noted that it was also important for the government to develop policies that would help create an enabling environment and retain qualified healthcare professionals in the country.
Stressing, he said that this would help address the issue of brain drain and emigration of highly trained or qualified Ghanaian from a particular country, a phenomenon which had affected the country’s health sector.
“According to the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association, over 4, 000 nurses have left Ghana to Europe between January and July this year alone. This phenomenon poses a challenge to the very foundation of our healthcare system”, Major General Gyane said.
“As we invest in the education and training of these young brains, we must collectively work towards creating an enabling environment that encourages them to stay and contribute to the growth and enhancement of our healthcare system”, he concluded.
BY BENJAMIN ARCTON-TETTEY
