Madam Veronica Darko, Chief Executive of the Nurses and Midwives Council of Ghana, has reminded health professionals, especially nurse managers, that patients have the right to quality healthcare delivery at anytime.
Madam Darko said with the introduction of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), causing the death of a patient through ignorance, carelessness and negligence; infecting a patient through improper care and administering an overdose of drugs for instance, would now become legal issues.
She therefore urged nurse managers to equip themselves with the requisite knowledge to ensure that the rights of patients and clients to quality healthcare were in no way compromised.
Madam Darko said this in a speech read on her behalf at a two-day workshop on ethical and legal issues in nursing in Tamale on Friday.
The Nurses and Midwives Council of Ghana organised the forum to update the knowledge and skills of sixty Nurse Managers, Tutors and Principals of Nursing and Midwifery Training Institutions in the Northern, Upper East and Upper West Regions.
Madam Darko reminded nurses and midwives about the content of the "Code of Professional Conduct, Patients' Charter" and other related documents, which enjoined them to act at all times in a manner that would safeguard the interest of patients.
"This means that nurses must ensure that no action or inaction is detrimental to the condition or safety of a patient.
"Every nurse or midwife must acknowledge any limitations of competence and refuse in such cases to accept delegated functions without first having received instructions with regard to those functions and having been assessed as competent to perform those functions," she said.
The Chief Executive urged the participants to respect confidential information obtained from a patient, saying: "You must refrain from disclosing information without the consent of the patient, except as required by law or that the information is in the interest of the public".
Madam Darko said as patrons of the NHIS, they must not only ensure that they had the full compliment of staff needed for efficient and effective healthcare delivery but also those who have up to date knowledge and skills to attend to the needs of patients.
Mr. Prince Gunguni, Deputy Northern Regional Director of Nursing Services, said shortage of health staff was impacting negatively on healthcare delivery in the region.
Besides, he said, some nurses were also refusing to accept postings to "difficult areas" thereby compounding the already worse situation, especially in the rural communities.
Mr. Gunguni said as a measure to improve the situation, the district assemblies in the region had been given a quota to sponsor students in the health institutions who on completion would go back and work at health facilities in those districts.