Mr. George Signetome, Principal, Wa Health Assistant Training School, has stated that inadequate structures and the lack of a permanent school building was hampering teaching and learning in the school.
He said at present, the authorities have to convert the Wa Regional Hospital Kitchen facility and the old theatre as classrooms, which were impeding the academic performance and intake of students.
Mr. Signetome raised the concern at the maiden matriculation of Wa Health Assistant Training School in Wa on Saturday.
He said but for the few structures at the hospital, the school would have been conducting classes under trees.
Mr. Signetome appealed to the government to make it possible for health training institutions to benefit from the Ghana Education Trust Fund (GETFUND) to expand its structures.
Dr. Alexis Nang-Beifubah, Upper West Regional Director of Health Service, challenged authorities of health training institutions to turn out students who would be disciplined, dedicated and patriotic as well as showing interest and willingness to render services to the rural people.
He said it was worrying to see health personnel refusing posting to rural communities where their services were most needed, pointing out that the practice was defeating the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Services human resources distribution objectives.
“Let us from now on learn how to prepare the minds of our students psychologically to see the need to accept posting to rural health facilities to provide quality healthcare to the people, whose contributions the country is surviving on”.
Dr. Nang-Beifubah said the authorities were in the process of acquiring a 50 acre land for the construction of permanent structures for the school.
Dr. Nang-Beifubah said:” It is envisaged that when the structures are put in place, the school would be turned into a diploma awarding training institution to cater for the manpower needs of the region in particular and the country as a whole”, he explained.
He reminded people in the region on the emergence of Cerebro Spinal Meningitis (CSM) in the region and appealed to the people visit health facilities when they experience symptoms of the disease for early diagnoses.
Alhaji Issahaque Salia, Upper West Regional Minister in a speech read on his behalf, admitted that there was a shortfall of nursing staff in the region and that the products of the Wa Health Assistant Training School lessened the poor staffing burden.
He however said owing to the low nurse patient ratio in the region, there was the urgent need for large numbers of nurses to man health facilities to improve the situation substantially.
Alhaji Salia advised the students to take their studies seriously and be well equipped professionally to contribute their quota to the health delivery mandate of the Ghana Health Services.
Mr. Alban S. K. Bagbin, Minister for Water Resources, Works and Housing, who stood in for the Health Minister, Mr. Joseph Yieleh Chireh, appealed to the students not to be down hearted about the inadequate structure challenges but to endeavour to bring the best out of themselves.
He called on health workers to show love and compassion to patients who visit health facilities to encourage them to continue to visit the facilities for medical attention anytime they were sick.
Naa Seidu Braimah, a Member of the Council of State, said the success or otherwise of the school should be squarely placed on the doorsteps of the Health Minister, Mr. Chireh, the Director General of Ghana Health Service Dr. Elias Sory, and the Upper West Regional Director of Health Service, Dr. Nang-Beifubah.
He said people in the region would not forgive them if they denied the Regional capital a health training institution, explaining that Wa was the only Regional Capital without any health training institution and that the people were watching.