Reduce the wastage in nursing care- Prof Adanu tells nurses

Dean of the University of Ghana Public Health School, Prof Richard Adanu said this in a key note address at this years nurses day celebration launch in Accra, held last Tuesday.It was under the theme “Nurses and Midwives: A force for change- Care Effective, Cost Effective”

Prof. Adanu, hinted on how every one was talking about getting the greatest benefit in the shortest time at the lowest cost. He however advocated that reducing wastage in the practice of nursing and midwifery was one very simple means nurses and midwives could apply to achieve that.

He advised all nurses to ensure that medications as well as other materials involved in care delivery is wisely used without wastage.

“In this era of complete cost recovery, wastage adds to the cost of healthcare and reduces cost effectiveness” He said.

Prof Adanu further charged nurses and midwives to actively partake in policy making and dissociate themselves from just being practitioners in their clinic areas.

Unemployed Nurses

Amidst Ghana’s nurse to patient ratio of 1:22 and nurse/population ratio of 1:950, a good population of this vital work force are presently unemployed.

Trainee nurses, are now obliged to provide their own logistics for clinical work,as well as pay remunerations to their preceptors irrespective of their sacrifice and service.

Addressing nurses gathered at the launch, Mr Asante Krobea, president of the Ghana Registered Nurses Association (GRNA) lamented that whilst a number of lower cadre health professionals continue to flourish the healthcare system at the detriment of quality care. This he said, was due to the fact that, the need for highly-trained cohorts of pre-service nurse professionals continue to be de-emphasized.

“We are taking this opportunity to reiterate our call to government to retain the allowances of trainee nurses and midwives who fill many roles that represents the deficit created by the sharp Nurse/Patient ratio” He concluded.