The Ketu South Municipal branch of Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has called on the local assembly to recognise and appreciate the contributions of members to healthcare delivery in the Municipality.

The Association said the best way to do this was for the Assembly to sponsor at least one or two of its members annually to acquire higher education to equip them to play critical roles in transforming the healthcare delivery in Ketu South.

Mr Samuel Numana, Chairman, Ketu South GRNMA made the call in his welcome address at a ceremony to mark this year’s Nurses and Midwives Week Celebration held at Aflao on the theme: “Nurses and Midwives, a Voice to Lead in the Vision for a Transformed Healthcare in a Post COVID-19 World.”

He underscored the roles of nurses and midwives saying, just as the theme suggested, they were the heartbeat of healthcare delivery with their inputs required in healthcare provision in health facilities and that it was important for the Assembly to be interested in their professional development.

“I dare to say that the vision for a transformed healthcare in a post-COVID-19 world, cannot be achieved without the active involvement of nurses and midwives. We, therefore, wish to add our voice to the call by the Association to question the Municipal Assembly’s intense sponsorship for nurses and midwives for further studies and other critical moments.”

Mr Numana congratulated his colleagues for their bravery in the fight against COVID-19 and regretted the loss of a member to the fight against the pandemic, announced that the branch had received an amount of GH¢10,000.00 from the Association’s health fund to mitigate the cost of treatment for a member for chronic illnesses.

He appreciated stakeholders for their continuous support in addressing challenges of members while urging his colleagues and the general public to continue to adhere to the safety protocols in the wake of recent reported cases of new variants of COVID-19.

The celebration chaired by Dr Divine Azameti, the first to be marked in the Municipality saw various speakers acknowledge the contributions of nurses and midwives in caring for patients in the COVID-19 era, and entreated them to be compassionate and dedicated to taking care of the sick and the disabled.

Ms Margaret Ofori, 2nd Vice Regional Chairperson, GRNMA said the COVID-19 era had been one of the scariest periods for members who went the extra mile to give a window of hope to patients in whatever situation they were going through stressing, “it is time for our policymakers and politicians to involve nurses and midwives in all decision-making processes concerning healthcare delivery especially at such crucial and dire times.”

“I celebrate you all for your tenacity to serve others. However, as a people, we ask for more from you, our health workers. Sometimes, we receive raw deals from some healthcare providers that worsen our situation when we come to you in the hospitals. A kind word, an assuring look, a smile, a compassionate voice, a little patience, a kind gesture, an experience shared can make our afflictions less painful,” Madam Abla Dzifa Gomashie, Member of Parliament for the area said in a speech read on her behalf.

International Nurses Day is celebrated every year on May 12, the birthday of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing.

The week celebration in Ketu South saw some nurses and midwives award plaques with medals and citations with medals for distinguishing themselves in the years under review.