Health Ministry in aggressive campaign to recruit nurses
THE Ministry of Health is currently pursuing an aggressive campaign to recruit nurses and all eligible persons are encouraged to respond to the current advertisements for nurses training programmes. Minister in the Ministry of Health Dr. Bheri Ramsaran, in an interview with the Guyana Chronicle, on Tuesday, said robust training is continuing to create a skilled workforce for the health sector and, as such, there is a need for young people to respond.

“We have been doing this for a long time but, over the past few years, we have seen a significant increase in the budgetary allocations for training of doctors, nurses and medexes and the Ministry has advertised its nurses training programmes, again,” Ramsaran reminded.

He noted that just under $5M have been allocated to facilitate the courses which are conducted at the Liliendaal Annex, East Coast Demerara.

In addition to the public appeal, Ramsaran said ministry’s representatives will also be visiting schools to offer career guidance and work along with churches to intensify the awareness drive.

He appealed to all headmasters and headmistresses to urge graduates to apply, pointing out that, in Georgetown, young people were sensitised at a session in Ruimveldt Life Improvement Centre.

The ministry has, as well, posted a document on its website, titled ‘Training Opportunities in the Health Sector’, to further assist in the awareness campaign.
He said application forms have been sent to all Administrative Regions countrywide and can be uplifted from the Regional Executive Officers (REOs) and the Regional Health Officers (RHOs) or downloaded from www.health.gov.gy.
Ramsaran said the ministry now has its largest recorded number of nurses in training schools in Georgetown, New Amsterdam and Linden.
“Last year, 530 were admitted for training from across the country and all regions were represented, except Region Eight (Potaro/Siparuni), but we are trying to change that, which means that nurses trained from other regions will have to be deployed there,” he stated.

COMPETITIVE
Ramsaran emphasised that this batch of trainees will find the courses offered more competitive as the number of participants would be reduced due to challenges faced to provide adequate space and tutors.
According to him: “This year, we will be taking in less and I can guarantee you that it will be very competitive. So, I am encouraging young people out there to get in their applications early.”
The ministry, to support the large intake of  trainees, recently, opened an annex to the East Street Nursing School in Georgetown, to provide more comfortable accommodation, Ramsaran said.
About that facility, he said: “We have a massive building, which is now being exploited and we have started to move in our trainee nurses.”
Ramsaran said, apart from the training being offered through the nursing programmes, the ministry is aggressively pursuing post graduate studies for nurses, training in midwifery and a new programme in anaesthetic nursing.
He said anaesthetic nurses are very important as the government has been building several hospitals in rural and  remote areas such as Lethem, Rupununi; Mabaruma, North West District; Diamond, East Bank Demerara; Leonora, West Coast Demerara and Suddie, Essequibo Coast, practically all of them provided with operating rooms.
Ramsaran revealed that the first batch of trainees in anaesthetic nursing has already graduated and there is, currently, another group of 10 enrolled.
He posited that a programme such as that serves as a way of providing professional progression for nurses in the health sector and indicated that, for the next few years, the emphasis will be on quality training.
The ministry is also seeking to attract persons interested in being trained as environmental health assistants, pharmacy assistant, x-ray technicians and medical laboratory technicians.