Nurses, Midwives Want Galamsey Pits Covered

By Michael Boateng

Kintampo — Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association in the Brong Ahafo region has urged the Minister of Lands and Natural Resources, John Peter Amewu to speed up the process in getting all illegal miners to re-claim the degraded lands.

The association describes un-reclaimed dug-out pits at the various illegal mining centres as a major bane to the fight to eradicate malaria from the country, indicating that they serves as breeding grounds for mosquitoes, which will increase the disease burden on the nurses and midwifes in Ghana.

Chairman of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association in the Brong Ahafo region, Joseph Krampah, made the call during a durbar to end this year's nurses and midwives week celebration at Kintampo.

Joseph Krampah condemned the recent suspension of some nurses and midwives by the ministry of finance, on suspicion that they were ghosts and urged them to quickly rectify the situation to enable their members receive salaries.

He further asked the Ministry of Finance to quicken the processes involved in clearing the newly qualified nurses and midwives to get them posted as and when they complete their education and the mandatory one year national service.

Joseph Krampah, however, emphasized that the frustration and the unlawful treatment of GRNMA members was gradually awakening the sleeping giant nature of the nurses and midwives.

For her part, Kintampo Municipal Director of Health Services, Alice Vorleto, stressed the need for broad policy reforms to address rural poverty and unemployment as well as institute measures aimed at streamlining small scale mining whilst ensuring environmental sustainability.

Head of Nursing Department at Catholic University College Ghana, Albert Henyo, appealed to the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association to ensure an effective health education in the communities where illegal mining is dominant.

A male nurse from Techiman Holy Family Hospital, Sie Joseph, was presented with a citation for being adjudged the Brong Ahafo regional best nurse for 2016. The nurses and midwives week celebration was on the theme: "Health implications of galamsey and the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals; nurses and midwives acting in one voice with stakeholders".

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