The Coalition of Concerned Nurses and Midwives (CCNM) has called for a probe into the professional background of nurses involved in the baby harvesters exposé
The group said although they cannot vouch for the ‘nurses’ named in the exposé they are sceptical about the true identities of these ‘nurses’.
Their call is in regard to whether the said nurses attained the standard professional training from Nurses’ Training College to become nurses or they were facility-based trained ‘nurses’ since they work in a private facility. “The two are not the same.”
Investigations by the Medical and Dental Council and the Economic and Organised Crime Office (EOCO) have led to the arrest of some doctors, nurses, and social workers in the illegal act of baby harvesting’ and ‘human trafficking’.
A joint statement revealed that the investigations were carried into the illegal activities between the periods of June to November 2020.
As a result of these investigations, two medical doctors, two social workers, four nurses, two mothers, and one traditional birth attendant have been arrested so far and are on bail pending further investigations.
But the CCNM believes for the above-mentioned reasons, the N&MC must independently investigate the matter to ascertain whether the indicted persons are professional nurses or health aids. And appropriate sanctions meted out if they are found to be professionally trained nurses and guilty.”
In a presser dated January 21, the CCM said “most private health facilities do not have the luxury to employ professional nurses, they rather find comfort in employing people and training them in the rudiments of vital signs and few other things to qualify them as ‘nurses’ in the eyes of the public. These are not professional nurses. They are called Health Aids who assist the doctors and the professional nurses.”
The statement went on “these health aids are not even limited to private health facilities but are in the public hospitals as well. Ironically, the public classifies most workers in hospitals as nurses when in the actual fact, it isn’t so.”
“It is therefore highly possible that these ‘nurses’ indicted in this exposé may not be professional nurses under the jurisdiction of the Nurses and Midwifery Council of Ghana (N&MC) which is the professional body regulating nurses and midwives in their practice.”
It added, “the nursing associations, namely the GRNMA and UPNM-G should also investigate the matter to its logical conclusions and recommend sanctions if any professional nurse is found guilty or redeem the image of nurses if the indicted persons are not professional nurses.”
CCNM, however, applauded the MDC and the EOCO for “the great work done in this regard.”
Source: Starr FM
