Abesim: More than 70,000 health professionals in the country remain unemployed, Miss Margaret Mary Alacoque, the President Conference of Heads of Health Training Institutions (COHHETI) said on Tuesday. She expressed concern about what she described as 'over the overproduction of general nurses and midwives' and worried about the continuous establishment of new nursing training colleges in the country.
According to Ghana News Agency, Ms. Alacoque made these remarks during the opening session of the 18th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of COHHETI, which is taking place in Abesim, near Sunyani in the Bono Region. The seven-day conference is centered around the theme: 'Transforming health training for a resilient workforce: specialisation, innovation, and quality assurance.'
Ms. Alacoque advocated for a shift towards specialisation, emphasizing that the country should focus on adequately resourcing existing health training institutions rather than creating new ones. This approach, she suggested, would enable the institutions to operate more effectively and address the issue of unemployment among health professionals.
Mr. Joseph Addae Akwaboa, the Bono Regional Minister, also addressed the conference, urging stakeholders to adopt research, technology, and strategic partnerships to transform health training in the country. He highlighted the importance of blending traditional care principles with modern scientific and technological advancements to ensure the future of the nation's healthcare.
Mr. Akwaboa reiterated the government's commitment to enhancing the operations of health training institutions through improvements in infrastructure development, tutor recruitment, regularisation, and curriculum reforms to meet global standards. He assured that the government would continue to provide the necessary resources to support these institutions and encouraged COHHETI to collaborate with the private sector and international partners to promote research, internship opportunities, and knowledge exchange.
