... 11 Nurses pack out within two months

Reports reaching The Chronicle from the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in Kumasi speak of increasing number of nurses leaving their posts to seek greener pastures outside the country.

The Director of Nursing at the hospital, Margaret Boafo-Atiemo said between January and February this year, 11 nurses resigned to take up jobs outside the country.

She said an unspecified number, both young and old and experienced hands, also left without the knowledge of the management.

?It is not only the younger ones who are leaving but the older ones are also leaving, thereby putting the hospital in a precarious situation,? the director told The Chronicle.

Madam Boafo-Atiemo said the services of the old nurses were much needed because of their experience to handle certain cases and therefore debunked the notion that they could not work effectively.

She said KATH currently had only 660 nurses out of the required minimum of 1,300 to man the 1,000-bed hospital.

But she said the hospital authorities were taking measures to minimize the drain and ensure that nurses and other paramedics stayed and worked.

Some of these measures include the acquisition of land by the management for the nurses and other staff to put up their own houses.

In addition the construction of 32 flats and quarters for nurses is nearing completion while a second block of flats has also been started.

She said to curb the transportation problem facing the staff management had also acquired a 38-seater bus and taken delivery of another 30-seater from the Ministry of Health to convey the staff to and from duty.

The hospital, according to her, has started career development training for nurses in E.N.T and other specialist courses.

On the allocation of vehicles to health personnel including doctors by the government, she said they were distributed on the basis of seniority and that the management of the hospital had entered into agreement with GNEISS Marketing Limited, local car dealers, to supply their brand of vehicles to all health staff.

So far 364 members of staff have applied to benefit from the offer.