Takoradi, August 08, GNA - Dr (Mrs) Linda Vanotoo, Western Regional Director of Health Services said the negative attitude of some nurses did not encourage the sick to provide the right information when they attended the hospital.

"The way you to talk to the clients would determine whether the client can tell you everything or just what he knows you would like to hear," she said.

Dr Vanotoo therefore advised the nurses to change that negative attitude to create conducive atmosphere for patients to give out the right information and receive the required treatment. She gave the advice at the opening of the Ninth National Delegates Congress of Community Health Nurses in Takoradi. The Congress, which brought together 110 community health nurses across the country, has the theme; "Malaria Control Education Programme in Schools and Communities; The Role of the Community Nurse". Dr. Vanotoo said nurses should be friendly towards clients since they served as a channel between the health service and the communities. She said the community health nurse should be trained appropriately to be able to educate the communities on diseases such as malaria. "You should know the life cycle of mosquitoes, conditions for breeding, the feeding and biting level and the geography of the people in the area in which you are," she said.

Dr Vanotoo said malaria was among the first reasons for Out Patience Department (OPD) attendance in almost all the health facilities and contributed significantly to a high number of deaths in children. She said there were effective and preventive strategies like the use of insecticide treated bed-nets that the community health nurse could teach the schools and communities to adopt. "Education in the communities and the schools would go a long way to help control and reduce malaria cases in our health facilities," she added.

She said the public and the communities should ensure that their environment was clean to prevent the breeding of mosquitoes. Dr Roland Sowah, Western Regional Coordinator of HIV/AIDs and Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) said malaria had been in existence for far too long and serious efforts must be made to eradicate it. "Once we focus our attention on it, we can do our best to see a total decline of it and save the lives of children under five," he said. Dr Sowah urged the community health nurses to come out with practical solutions in preventing malaria encouraged them to work work with the communities to improve the health of the people. Mrs Fanny Enos, Chairperson of the Community Health Nurses Group Ghana, urged nurses to perform their duties creditably to maintain the good name of the profession. 08 Aug. 09