Newly Inducted Nurses Challenged to Redefine Patient Care

The Bono Regional Minister, Madam Justina Owusu Banahene, has called on newly inducted nurses in the Middle Belt to align their services with the significant investments made by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) government in the healthcare sector.

Addressing the 2022, 2023, and 2024 cohorts of successful nursing and midwifery graduates at an induction ceremony held in Sunyani, she emphasized the importance of translating these investments into improved health outcomes for patients.

The ceremony, organized by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (N&MC), marked the first in-person induction event since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Previous ceremonies were conducted virtually and streamed on the Council’s social media platforms.

In a speech delivered on her behalf, Madam Owusu Banahene highlighted the government’s dedication to enhancing healthcare since 2017.

She noted the completion of abandoned health facilities and the initiation of new projects such as the Agenda 111 hospitals.

These efforts, she said, underline the government’s commitment to ensuring the health and well-being of Ghanaian.

The Minister urged the new nurses to bring innovation to the profession, emphasizing the need to change public perceptions of nurses as unsympathetic and disrespectful.

She stressed that a nurse’s demeanor and compassionate communication could significantly alleviate a patient’s distress.

“Nursing is a calling,” she said, urging the inductees to let their actions reflect this noble vocation.

The Registrar of the Nursing and Midwifery Council, Mrs. Philomina Adjoa Nyarkoa Woolley, also addressed the inductees, urging them to uphold professional values such as selflessness, empathy, integrity, and truth.

She encouraged the new practitioners to engage in continuous professional development and pursue further education to specialize in their fields.

Mrs. Woolley reminded the nurses of their core responsibility to ensure patient safety.

She cautioned against complacency, stressing that nurses are accountable for any outcomes affecting their clients, regardless of instructions from other professionals.

She also called on the inductees to adopt a respectful and compassionate approach to patient care, emphasizing that harsh communication has no place in the nursing profession.