Africa-Press – Botswana. The launch of Gaborone University College (GUC) School of Nursing is timely, as government has promised quality healthcare accessible to all citizens, says Assistant Minister of Health, Mr Lawrence Ookeditse.
Therefore, Mr Ookeditse said the government needed to deliver on the promise and mandate with the requisite personnel to provide quality healthcare. Speaking at the launch in Gaborone on Thursday, he said the institution seemed appropriately positioned to produce competent nurses who could compete in the global village.
He said the requisite of the school of nursing was a critical step as the government demanded academic institutions of the right standards that were necessary for the people. He said nursing was one of the regulated professions in Botswana, adding that he was pleased that the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Botswana regulated the practice of nursing as it looked at both standards and ethics.
As such, Mr Ookeditse said the GUC School of Nursing was endorsed by the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Botswana as a foremost institute of regulation in Botswana. He said nursing had been at the heart of the healthcare system adding that this was an important step to get more institutions developing programmes along the same line. He highlighted that when they kept developing such programmes, they also contributed toward growth and development of the important cadre in the provision of healthcare.
The Registrar of Nursing and Midwifery Council of Botswana, Ms Opelo Rankopo said the launch of the school was timely and critical addition to the nation’s healthcare training landscape. Ms Rankopo said Botswana was faced with an increasing demand for health professionals particularly nurses who were the backbone of healthcare delivery. She said the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Botswana had been a direct witness of the growing migration of nurses as those seeking opportunities abroad passed through the Nursing and Midwifery Council for verification.
“Over the past years, we have processed an increasing number of verification requests and indication of many nurses leaving our health facilities or leaving our country. So, this trend contributes significantly to the staffing shortages now being felt across the facilities and the pressure on our current workforce is so immense,” she said.
She said they were also witnessing a number of young Batswana leaving the borders to pursue their training. She said the growing trend was both a reflection of the determination of the young people and a signal that the training institutions were no longer sufficient to meet the demand. She said it was in that context that the GUC School of Nursing was essential as it answered the urgent call for increased local capacity and a response to the country’s strategic need for trained, compassionate nurses.
GUC managing director, Prof. Antoney Joseph said the GUC School of Nursing offered Bachelor of Science in Nursing and Certificate in Healthcare Assistance. Prof. Joseph said nurses played a critical role in improving the health of citizens adding that a healthy population builds a healthy economy, thus He training of nurses was imperative in the attainment of a sustainable health system in the economy.
He also said they appreciated government support through sponsorship of students to study in their institutions saying this showed how the government valued the role of the private sector. Prof. Joseph said when GUC was established in 2006, its commitment was that the institution should contribute to the national skills development agenda by providing skills that Botswana labour market was short of.
He said their growth was in accordance with the global and local standards in the provision of education. He said the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Botswana was an example of how professional bodies could work with training bodies to promote professional practices.
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