Kumasi, Jan. 17, GNA - The Asantehene Otumfuo Osei Tutu 11, has entreated the government to institute measures that would stem the exodus of trained nurses to seek greener pastures elsewhere to the detriment of the nation.

In a message conveyed on his behalf to the Ghana Nurses Midwife Trainees Association (GNMTA) at their Annual Week Celebration in Kumasi on Friday, he noted that, though the issue of brain drain was not limited to only Ghana, something could be done about it. Otumfuo Osei Tutu believed that with the right structures in place and a little bit more motivation, there would be an improvement in the conditions of work of nurses and other medical personnel to cut down in the current rate of exodus.

The celebration had as its theme: "Hepatitis B-The Secret Killer". Speaking on the theme, Dr Mrs Shirley Owusu Ofori, of the Transfusion Medicine Unit of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), called on Ghanaians, especially women, to lead healthy lifestyles so as not to contract Hepatitis B. According to her, it had been established that the disease was the ninth leading cause of deaths in the world and was 50 percent more infectious than HIV/AIDS.

Dr. Mrs Owusu Ofori said, since mother to child infection of the disease was on the ascendancy in the country, there was the need for nursing mothers to seek medical attention early when they contract the disease so that their babies could be vaccinated against it. Mr Sampson Kwaku Boafo, Ashanti Regional Minister, advocated the intensification of education on the disease to enable people to adopt less risk lifestyles and behaviours.

Mr Bismark Osei, President of the Ashanti Regional branch of the Association called on the government to expand facilities like accommodation and the library at the KATH Nurses Training College (NTC) to enhance teaching and learning at the college.ON