Accra, Nov. 2, GNA - The Ghana Registered Nurses' Association (GRNA) on Monday appealed to government to speed up negotiations on the conditions of service to motivate nurses and enhance quality health care delivery in the country.

It said government should endeavour to reduce bureaucracy in the appointment and promotion of newly qualified nurses and serving officers. "Government should ensure that appointment letters given to newly qualified nurses and other staff included code of conduct, disciplinary procedure and job description," it added.

The appeal was contained in a 14-point communiqu=E9 adopted at the end of their four-day 12th Biennial Delegates Conference held in Accra. The conference was under the theme: "Nurses Meeting Communities' Expectation with Passion through Innovations".

In a release issued in Accra and signed by Ms. Yvonne Graham-Hayfron, Public Relations Officer of GRNA said, to ensure gender balance and in conformity with the labour law, male nurses should be allowed to be trained as midwives and public health nurses without any hindrance.

The communiqu=E9 called on government to provide the opportunity for more nurses and midwives to upgrade themselves professionally and academically to meet the challenges of health care delivery and institute the best nurse award to motivate them.

It called for the urgent passing of the Mental Health Bill and the appointment of Director of Nursing Service at the Ministry of Health (MOH=) to report directly to the Minister of Health issues relating to nursing a= nd midwifery. The communiqu=E9 called on the MOH to recognise and regularise the nurse practitioner course being run by the University of Development Studies (UDS) and the nurses who had competed posted appropriately. It appealed to the MOH to support the Nurses and Midwives Council (NMC) to resist interference from other bodies particularly licensure examinations that sought to lower the standards of nursing and midwifery in the country.