The Reverend Dr Kofi Effa-Ababio, Chairperson of West Brong Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, has stressed the need for partnership between government and religious bodies in the quest to mobilise human and material resources to enhance health care delivery in the country.
He said government could assist such institutions such as the Dormaa Presbyterian Midwifery Training School with the necessary equipment, infrastructure and teaching staff to admit more students, including Senior High School (SHS) graduates.
Dr Rev. Effa-Ababio made the call at the second Matriculation of Dormaa Presbyterian Midwifery Training School at Dormaa-Ahenkro.
The second batch of 78 students were admitted for the 2012-2013 academic year.
The school which was established about two years ago, now has 110 students to pursue a two-year professional training in midwifery.
Madam Georgina Sam, a representative of the Brong-Ahafo Regional Secretariat of Nurses and Midwifes Council (NMC) administered the Matriculation Oath to the students.
Dr Rev. Effa-Ababio pointed out that the era when people enrolled and trained in health institutions for glamour and academic laurels must give way to a more purposeful era when nurses and midwives would submit wholeheartedly to the philosophy of Florence Nightingale, Mother of Nursing whose ideals and values they were trained to uphold and cherish.
He noted that nurses and midwives had much to offer Ghana in her strive to meet the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4 and 5 by 2015.
Dr Timothy Letsa, Brong-Ahafo Regional Director of Health, in a speech read for him, noted that access to quality health care was gradually becoming the preserve of a few individuals in society due to insufficient human resources and health facilities.
He urged the students to seek more knowledge through reading and research into their field of study to prepare adequately for the task ahead of them.
Mr Kwaku Asante Krobea, National President of Ghana Registered Nurses Association (GRNA) announced that it would soon establish a second-tier pension scheme to guarantee members lump sum of money during retirement.
Madam Hilda Mary Commey, Principal of the school said it admitted 78 students out of 189 applicants due to lack of infrastructure and equipment.
She therefore appealed to government for assistance with infrastructure, teachers and equipment.
The Reverend Mavis Hanna Yeboah, Dormaa Presbyterian Hospital Chaplain deplored the slow pace of Ghana's maternal healthcare delivery which was not conducive to the achievement of the health-related MDGs.
She said available statistics indicated that Ghana's maternal mortality rate as at 2008 was 451 per 100,000 births which was nowhere near the MDG target of 185 per 100,000 births by 2015.
Mr Gordon Kwaku Asubonteng, Dormaa Central Municipal Chief Executive and Mr Kwaku Agyemang Manu, NPP Member of Parliament for Dormaa-West, pledged their support to the school and commended the Presbyterian Church of Ghana for its role in the provision of social amenities in the country.
They appealed to the electorate to eschew violence and verbal attacks during Election 2012.