Nurses Advised To Observe Strict Universal Precautions

The President of Ghana Registered Nurses of Ghana has admonished senior nurses and midwives of Ghana to observe the practice of strict universal precaution in delivery of their service.

?My dear nurses and midwives, I entreat??you all to always??make good??use of personal protection equipment?s each time you are attending to patients and??do not panic or run away from such patients because once you practice universal precaution measures at all times, you are safe? he stressed.

According to him this will help prevent them from contracting the deadly Ebola Viral Disease (EVD) when treating patients

He was speaking to hundred participants of Nurses and Midwifery Managers drawn from the Nursing and Midwifery Services under the Ministry of Health, the Ghana Registered Nurses Association (GRNA) and the Ghana Registered Midwives Association in Accra at a one-day national workshop on the Ebola Viral Disease.

The Workshop which was jointly organized by the Nurses and Midwifery Council, the Directorates of Nursing and Midwifery Services(Ministry of Ghana), the Ghana Registered Nurses Association(GRNA) and the Ghana Registered midwives Association(GRMA)??was aimed at complementing the efforts of the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service in terms of ensuring effective preparedness should there be any outbreak in the country as well as building capacity of the nurses and midwives in handling Ebola outbreak cases.

Mr. Asante Krobea in his speech described the outbreak as the mother of all battles which has caught the attention of?the health system of all countries and a major concern for the World Health Organization (WHO).

He underscored the importance of the workshop; ?nurses and midwives form the largest continent of the health workforce, reaching at least 65% among health professionals across the continuum of healthcare the world over” charging them??to rise up to the occasion and make an impact in the fight against Ebola.

The Representative of the World Health Organization (WHO) Dr. Vincent Viyon Ahove who served as a resource person for the workshop took the participants through the causes of the Ebola Viral Disease, how it spreads, who is most at risk, the symptoms, what treatment is available, prevention and how to handle the victims of the disease to avoid further spread.

According to him, out of the 2,240 persons infected within the sub-region (Guinea,Sierra Leone,Liberia,and Nigeria),1,229 of them have died.

He lauded Governments commitment to helping combat the disease should it breakout in the country as well as the initiative by the organizers of the workshop, giving the assurance that the WHO has mobilized different experts to support affected countries in all aspects of the epidemic control, adding that an experimental drug known as Zmapp is being used to treat the disease.

Dr. Kwame Amponsah-Achiano of the Public Health Division of Ghana Health Service assured the participants that the Ministry of Health and the GHS have put elaborate measures in place to combat the disease in the event of an outbreak.

He disclosed Government has released an amount of GHc940, 000 to the Ministry of Health to finance essential components of preparedness activities.

He urged nurses and midwives not to be scared of the disease because that has a potential of creating panic within health facilities.

He indicated that with the information gathered at the workshop, the participants should be able to manage any Ebola patient and advised the participants that when they encounter any suspected case of Ebola, they should isolate the patient in a holding room and call the focal person within the facility to take the sample for investigations.

The Acting Registrar of the Nursing and Midwifery Council, Felix Nyante urged the participants to work with the knowledge acquired as well as share with other employees within their respective facilities or regions.

Story by JOSEPH KOBLA WEMAKOR