Cape Coast, Oct. 27, GNA - Dr Samuel Kwashie, Acting Central Regional Director of Health Services, on Tuesday said the directorate would ensure that disciplined, high performing and committed nurses were turned out from the various health training institutions in the region to enhance health care delivery.

He said the institutions would therefore not be allowed to become "safe havens for those who willfully provoke the long arm of the law". Citing punitive measures taken against some offending students, he warned that students who engage in malpractice would be dismissed. Dr Kwashie was speaking at the inauguration of Advisory Boards for five health training institutions in the region. They are the Nurses and Midwives Training College in Cape Coast, Ankaful Nurses Training College, Community Health Nurses Training College at Winneba and the Health Assistants Training Colleges at Twifo-Praso and Dunkwa-on-Offin.

The five boards made up of seven-members each, comprise a representative of the Regional Coordinating Council, Regional Health Directorate, Traditional Council, Ministry of education, the community, a religious body and an official of the institution. They are to advice the principals of their assigned institutions on management and governance, support them to mobilize extra resources and assist in the maintenance of discipline.

Dr Kwashie said in pursuant of that, the directorate had empowered the principals of the institutions to ensure discipline and facilitate the production of nurses who would promote corporate vision and image of the health service.

Touching on the role of the Advisory Board members, Dr. Kwashie said they were expected to relate positively with both management and students and other key stakeholders.

He said they must cooperate and pay regular supportive visits and refrain from becoming admission contractors. Dr Kwashie acknowledged the support health training institutions in the region were enjoying and expressed the hope that more would be done, especially in the areas of provision of infrastructure and sponsorship of students.

Mrs Ama Benyiwa-Doe, Regional Minister, who inaugurated the boards, said their inauguration which was in fulfillment of the accreditation criteria of the National Accreditation Board. She mentioned inadequate learning and teaching materials and lack of accommodation for students and staff, as some of the challenges facing the institutions.

Mrs Benyiwa-Doe said if those problems were not well addressed, they would impact negatively on the quality of products.

She said it was the duty of the boards to address them and also come up with constructive ideas for the improvement of conditions in the various institutions in order to meet internationally accepted standards. Dr Kwesi Asabir, Deputy Director, Human Resource Development of the Ministry of Health, said the Ministry was striving to make Ghana a hub for training health professionals in the sub-region. He said there were currently 56 training institutions with over 18,000 students.

He hinted that many countries in the sub-region had applied to have their citizens trained in Ghana, offering to pay commercial fees, but the Ministry was however cautious not to put Ghanaians at a disadvantage because of the commercial fees. The board members were sworn in by Mr. Justice Justine Kofi Dorgu, a High Court Judge in Cape Coast. 27 Oct. 09