Ms Comfort Ayeh, a Principal Nursing Officer in the Greater Accra Region, has urged nurses to work on their attitudes as they discharge their services to the public.

She said the attitudes of nurses have become a problem to the public for sometime now, hence the need for nurses “to work on their attitudes, enthusiasm and patience in taking care of patients”.

Speaking at the 8th matriculation ceremony of the Martin Luther Health Training School in Accra, Ms Ayeh said the nursing profession is progressing so it is important for nurses to upgrade their knowledge to enable them to effectively provide the needed care and services to society.

She congratulated the 278 matriculates who have enrolled to undertake various certificate courses in Health Assistants Clinicals, Laboratory Technicians Programme and Health Careers and asked them to abide by the work ethics as they graduate to render care to people.

The theme for the matriculation was: “Higher Nursing Education, a Tool for Quality Health Care.”

Mrs Hajia Balchisu Iddrisu, Principal of the school said the academic entity is set to move into offering diploma health programmes from 2016 aside the certificate programmes it is currently offering.

She explained that affiliation is being sought with the Valley View University in Accra and the University of Development Studies in Tamale after which the Diploma programmes would be enrolled.

She announced that the school has introduced the teaching of sign language in its curriculum to enable both students and teachers to communicate with the deaf and dumb in the society.

Dr Owusu Achaw Duah, Director of the School said affiliation and collaboration have been achieved by the institution with Weber State University, Brookdale Community College and the Robert Wood Johnson University, in the US, to achieve its academic goals.

He explained that among other benefits, the affiliation would help the school to define basic curriculum for medical laboratory technology training, provide basic resources, which include case studies and references materials as well as exchange programmes for students and staff.

Dr Duah said the school would be upgraded to a college in the near future and would be an integral part of the communities it serve, and become a key contributor to the health care needs of the people.

Ms Helenmary Baison, Chief Nursing Officer in the Greater Accra Region who gave the key note address said with various nursing specialties emerging, clients continue to demand quality health care services, hence the need for nurses who contribute about 80 per cent of the healthcare delivery output in developing countries like Ghana, to upgrade their knowledge.

She said quality nursing care in the clients perspectives include promptness of attention, good staff attitudes, respecting clients’ rights, providing adequate information and respecting privacy and confidentiality, among others.

She urged nursing training institutions to ensure that processes are based on standards and guidelines.

Mrs Baison said nursing education and practices need to be strengthened at all levels to ensure that knowledge acquired by students during training are translated into good nursing practices in the professional environment.