The move is part of efforts to expand programmes, provide comprehensive professional training for students and build capacities of practising nurses and midwives to provide quality care to patients.

The school now has four departments - Public Health Nursing, Midwifery, Nursing, as well as Emergency and Critical Care Nursing.

Professor Mrs Rita Akosua Dickson, Vice- Chancellor of KNUST, made this known at the 10th Graduation Ceremonies for the Ministry of Health Training Institutions in Kumasi.

She said admission into Bachelor of Science top up programmes for all diploma holders would now take two years instead of the three years and urged diploma holders in health care practice to take advantage of the opportunity to ensure continuous learning and professional development.

A total of 14,197 diploma nursing students from 76 Ministry of Health affiliate training institutions graduated at the ceremony.

Prof Mrs Dickson emphasizing quality education, said the KNUST upheld the highest standards in preparing the professionals it trained with 21st century employable skills, and was therefore, expected the same from her affiliate institutions as the school worked to achieve the mandate.

In this way, she noted, professionals, including health workers, could serve humanity in their most vulnerable state, adding that, the health profession was a calling to serve, alleviate suffering and to bring hope to the sick and the helpless.

"The healthcare profession demands both technical expertise and a very profound sense of empathy which requires resilience in the face of myriad of challenges confronting healthcare delivery.

This notwithstanding, we are confident that the kind of rigorous training you have been exposed to, will help you to be up to the task in contributing effectively to enhance and improve the healthcare ecosystem in a more positive and inspirational way", she stated

Ms Tina Gifty Naa Ayele Mensah, a Deputy Minister of Health, said the government was taking strenuous steps to revamp and open up the health sector to enable it to absorb the top- notch health professionals that the country craved for.

She said the healthcare landscape was evolving, presenting both challenges and opportunities, and urged health professionals to stay curious and never stop learning.

Ms Ayele Mensah advised health workers to be agents of change, show empathy, and make integrity and kindness the hallmark of their profession.

The Deputy Minister encouraged graduate health workers to accept postings to anywhere they were sent to, particularly the deprived communities because the people needed them the most.