The Nursing and Midwifery Council (N&MC), on Thursday, donated a set of four infant incubators and three maternity delivery beds to the Nsawam Government Hospital in the Eastern Region.

It also donated five Dell-Computers each, to four selected Training institutions made up of the Nursing and Midwifery Training Colleges (NMTC) in Kete Krachi, Koforidua, and Sekondi, as well as the Nursing Training College at Sefwi Wiawso.

The total cost of the donations is GHC 171,000.00.

Mr Felix Nyante, the Registrar of the Nursing and Midwifery Council, said the initiative was part of the Council’s Corporate Social Responsibility in line with its 50th Anniversary celebrations, and that medical items donated were selected from a list of needs the Management of the Hospital presented to the Council upon request, and also through research conducted by the Anniversary Planning Committee on the Maternal and Child health system in Ghana.

Ms Tina Gifty Naa Ayelley Mensah, the Deputy Minister of Health, said Nsawam Government Hospital, was found to be one of the facilities with several challenges that affected the effective, timely, and quality provision of maternal health services, needing assistance.

She said the Hospital on the average, served 265 ante-natal registrants, 2,740 attendances, and 550 deliveries per month, which was the highest in the Eastern Region and also among the greatest in the country.

The Deputy Minister further cited one major challenge of the Hospital as congestion at admission wards, resulting in maternal and child-related complications, and expressed the hope that the medical items would enable Staff of the Hospital to function effectively and efficiently, to save lives.

Reverend Veronica Darko, the Chairperson of the 14th Governing Board of the Council, said the Institution’s online licensing examination, being the first of its kind in Africa, was one of the greatest feats in the celebration of the Council’s 50th anniversary this year to be climaxed in March 2021.

She expressed the Council’s gratitude to the Management and Staff of all Nursing and Midwifery Training institutions for the continued collaboration during the transition from the traditional model of conducting licensing examination to an online model (NICHE 261 Project).

Rev. Darko said the continuous dedication and participation as partners in the conduct of the online licensing examinations had enabled the Council to meet several of its goals and enjoyed a strong wave of growth and innovation since the implementation in September 2018.

The Council is also collaborating with the training institutions to organize a Tailor-Made-Training to build the capacity of Facility/Tutors of Nursing and Midwifery Colleges in the county.

Ms Constance Frimpomaa Ayeh, the Deputy Head of Nursing, Nsawam Government Hospital, and Alhaji Boakye Yiadom Abdul-Karim, the Principal of the Sekondi Nursing and Midwifery Training College, took turns to thank the N&MC for the donations, saying the gesture would help improve services at the Hospital, and output of staff and students.