Tanoso (B/A), Feb. 13, GNA - The Reverend Veronica Darko, Registrar and Chief Executive Officer of Nurses and Midwives Council of Ghana has urged students of the Community Health Nursing Training schools to be disciplined and to exhibit high moral standards. Rev. Darko gave the advice on Friday when she administered the matriculation oath to 170 new students of the Community Health Nurses Training School at Tanoso in the Tano North district of Brong-Ahafo. The new students were made up of 150 females and 20 males.

The Registrar said "selflessness and self discipline" were core values of the council and very paramount for students aspiring to achieve academic excellence. "It is discipline that would mould or nurture your character as a professional and that you should regard discipline as an important tool in your journey to becoming professional nurses", Rev. Darko said. She asked the students to let the training they would receive in the institution to reflect in their dealings with patients and advised them to act professionally and to strike good interpersonal relationship with clients. "A community health nurse, who is well respected by the public, is the one who is decent, knowledgeable and skillful and in whose hands clients and patients feel comfortable, secured and relaxed", Rev. Darko stressed.

In a welcoming address Mrs. Josephine Koranteng-Asare, Principal of the school, said since its inception in October 2003, the school had enrolled six batches of students numbering 693 students. She said currently on campus were the 5th and sixth batches of students and advised the new students to co-operate with the authorities of the institution, by submitting to the rules, regulations and the code of ethics of the nursing profession. Mrs. Koranteng-Asare entreated the students to strive hard for excellence in their academic endeavour and to provide service with dedication as community health nurses. "Your role in the healthcare delivery chain is preventive by nature and as such you must be proactive in your approach to issues by going out into the communities and finding out how to prevent communicable diseases", the principal added.

Dr. Emmanuel Kwadwo Tenkorang, Deputy Brong-Ahafo Regional Director of Health Services, who presided, said the school is facing some problems such as inadequate staff and students' accommodation, classroom blocks and the lack of a school bus. Dr. Tenkorang said pilfering was on the increase and appealed to the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders to assist the school to provide adequate security for the students.