The government has approved an increase of the monthly allowance for student nurses from GH¢45.00 to GH¢290.

Mr. Eric Opoku, the Deputy Brong-Ahafo Regional Minister, said this at the first matriculation ceremony of the Health Assistants Training School at Seikwa. A total of 178 students, 127 girls and 51 boys, were matriculated.

Mr. Opoku expressed concern over the concentration of health personnel in the urban centres, saying, that was not the best as it deprived people in the rural areas of better health delivery.

He said the government was doing everything possible to make rural areas attractive and appealed to nurses and midwives to embrace transfers to such areas as efforts were being made to make the rural areas “comfortable”.

Mr. Christopher Beyere, Head of Health Training Institutions of the Ministry of Health (MOH), congratulated the teaching staff of health training institutions for not embarking on strikes.

He said at the peak of the brain drain when most professionals left the country in search of ‘greener pastures’ abroad, the academic staff of health training schools stayed behind.

Mr. Michael Mantamia Yidana, the acting Principal, said the institution would take care of the “yawning deficiency in health service personnel in Seikwa in particular, the Brong-Ahafo Region and Ghana as a whole”.

Mr. Yidana thanked Mr. Johnson Asiedu Nketiah, former Member of Parliament (MP) for Tain, Nana Dwumah Ankoanah II, Omanhene of Seikwa Traditional Area, Mr. Jones Samuel Tawiah, District Chief Executive (DCE) for Tain and all others for their contributions towards the establishment of the institution.

He listed a host of challenges of the newly-established school including lack of means of transport, hostel accommodation, place of convenience, lecture room for incoming students, adequate equipment and materials in the demonstration room and the limited number of staff who are yet to receive their appointment letters even though they had been engaged for about eight months.**