Bolgatanga, Oct. 11, GNA - Mr Mark Woyongo, Upper East Regional Minister has appealed to civil society organizations in the Region to use dialogues in addressing issues instead of resorting to demonstrations at the least provocation.

The Regional Minister made the appeal when the Northern Patriots in Research and Advocacy (NORPRA), a Civil Society Organization working in support of the marginalized, together with the Principal of the Bolgatanga Midwifery School, Mrs Ruby Panou Adom, assembled before him in connection with the dismissal of five students from Gushegu District of the Northern Region who had been admitted by the School. NORPRA would not understand why the students whom the Upper East Regional Directorate of Health Services and the Gushegu District Directorate of Health Services jointly granted a special consideration to pursue a post-Midwifery Course at the School to help address the acute shortage of Midwives in Gushegu District was turned down. According to the Principal of the School, the students did not meet the requirement which stated that they should serve for five years or the three years before they could be allowed to pursue the course.

Mrs Adom explained that she had experienced a similar situation last year and had been sanctioned by the Nurses and Midwives Council, so she did not want to go through that experience again. Meanwhile, the Regional Minister has appealed to NORPRA to reconsider its decision to embark on a protest march against the Principal's decision and to present a petition to the Ministry of Health for her removal, whiles he the Regional Minister took up the matter with the Nurses and Midwives Council.

Mr Woyongo argued that it was needless engaging in a demonstration when there were other channels to be utilised for redress, and said demonstrations were not the best for a Region that was deprived and needed peace to develop.

Mr Noble Alasgskomah, representative of the Upper East Youth Association expressed regret about the dismissal of the students in the face of rising maternal and child mortality rates in the three Northern Regions, and wondered why the students could not be considered to pursue the course so they could come out and help to address the problem.

He appealed to the Ghana Health Service and the Nurses and Midwives Council to take a critical look at the issue at stake and allow the students to complete the programme to augment the shortage of Midwives in the three Northern Regions. 11 Oct. 11