Kpandu, May 26, GNA - Mr Samuel Agbo, Volta Regional Chairman of the Ghana Registered Nurses Association (GRNA), at the weekend appealed to nurses in the region to "nurse with humility" to redeem the sinking image of the profession. "Let us all pledge to put our efforts together to improve our image by changing our attitudes towards our clients and put smiles on their faces by nursing with humility and empathy", he said. Mr Agbo said this at the launch of the Volta Regional Nurses' week celebration in Kpandu. It was on the theme, "Delivering quality, serving communities, nurses leading primary health care". He said contemporary nursing profession in Ghana was fast losing its image and this required nurses to strategize to win back public admiration and support.

Mr Agbo nevertheless commended nurses and midwives in the region for working to bring about significant improvements in health care delivery to the people especially in primary health care. This has led to remarkable reduction in measles and poliomyelitis and the eradication of small pox. Mr Agbo said nurses were able to achieve these significant results by taking risks involving having to travel on trucks, bicycles, motorbikes, by foot and by boat crossing rivers just for the sake of the people. He praised all health workers including nurses working at remotest areas and called on the Minister of Health to reconstitute the rural incentive in a "well packaged manner". Mr Agbo said the rising cost of health care, growing demand for better health care as well as aging nurses and health workers and their limited number were serious challenges that stakeholders must resolve quickly.

Dr. Andrew Arde-Acquah, Volta Regional Director of Health Services in a speech read on his behalf, urged nurses to work with devotion to duty, diligence, respect for human life and dignity. He told them to let their improved conditions of service reflect in quality health care delivery. Mr Joseph Kwaku Nayan, Deputy Volta Regional Minister, commended nurses for their sacrifices to the nation over the years and urged them to do more to improve primary health care delivery system in the country. Mr Nayan said they should remain committed to their core values of discipline and integrity, professionalism and client centred service to achieve their vision of making people healthier, wealthier and happier. He appealed to chiefs and opinion leaders to revive communal spirit to enable their communities to keep the environment clean to reduce the rate of disease infection to the barest minimum for better health.