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Dr Cecilia Akrisie Anim CBE addressing participants in the Dr Docia Kisseih Memorial Lectures in Accra. Picture: EDNA ADU-SERWAA
Dr Cecilia Akrisie Anim CBE addressing participants in the Dr Docia Kisseih Memorial Lectures in Accra. Picture: EDNA ADU-SERWAA

Nurses, midwives challenged to take up leadership roles

A United Kingdom (UK)-based health specialist, Dr Cecilia Anim (CBE), has asked Ghanaian registered nurses and midwives to position themselves for leadership positions in the country, both within the profession and outside it.

She observed that the participation of nurses and midwives in the country’s decision-making processes was critical for development because the profession dealt directly with society.

Dr Anim (CBE), who is also the President of Royal College of Nursing (RCN), UK, made the call at this year’s Dr Docia Kisseih Memorial Lecture in Accra last Tuesday.

The lecture

The lecture, the second of its kind, was attended by stakeholders in the health sector, including nursing trainees.

Dubbed: “Strengthening our heritage, expanding our horizons”, the lecture explored and examined ways of improving health services, as well as championing the cause of quality health system.

Leadership focus

Dr Anim (CBE) said there was the need for members to expand their horizon by involving themselves in the decision-making processes of the profession to make their tasks less burdensome.

“Strong leadership and support are important in this profession. Be part of the policy makers because nurses and midwives are the ones who are endangered to risks daily as they are dealing directly with the society,” she stated.

In that light, Dr Anim (CBE) encouraged nurses and midwives to do everything to remove barriers, including upgrading their skills to deliver their best to patients, while engaging in leadership roles.

“There must be factual information and flexible mechanism to know the work schedules for the upcoming nurses,” she urged.

Policy implementation

The Deputy Minister of Health, Ms Tina Mensah, noted that nurses and midwives were confronted with challenges as they endeavoured to provide equitable, effective, affordable and quality healthcare services to patients, saying the services of some nurses were generally perceived as unsatisfactory by the public.

She said her outfit would implement policies to help the health sector to deliver effectively and efficiently.

“The ministry is well informed about various challenges by nurses and midwives in this country and will continue to do its best to institute and implement policies to meet the changing trends of the profession,” she said.

Way forward

The President of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), Mr Kwara Asante-Krobea, said the continuous rise of the global burden of disease, ageing population and the increase in the demand for health care required conscious professional management of tasks.

He encouraged nurses to practise to the full extent of their skills and take significant leadership roles that would translate into positive outcomes in health delivery.

“Although nurses form the largest group of health professionals, they are frequently becoming victims of many lapses that are counterproductive to quality care in their scope of practice,” Mr Asante-Krobea observed.

He expressed concern that nurses and midwives’ contribution to health care had come under sharp criticism as a result of poor attitude towards service delivery.

Mr Asante-Krobea called on health sector stakeholders to come on board to deal with the shortfalls in the profession, especially the poor quality of care.

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