News / National
Government told to stop nurse training for three years
16 Mar 2016 at 10:10hrs | Views
Parliament's Health Portfolio Committee has advised government to stop training nurses for three years until those unemployed are absorbed.
Committee chairperson Ruth Ladode told parliaments on Tuesday, that thousands of qualified nurses are still jobless.
"Minister, I hear you but my concern as a committee in which you also sat, you were part of that committee where we agreed that if we acknowledged if a nurse was trained in 2013 and up to now the nurse does not practice, literally we are saying that nurse is useless.
"We agreed that since Government does not have money, let us suspend training for three years so that we then recruit those who are outside.
"Three years these nurses who are already on training - so what is your problem".
In response, deputy Health minister, Adrian Musiiwa said it was not possible to suspend training as the training institutions would be redundant.
"Training schools by their nature are actually training establishments. They are just like a school.
"We have tutors, the schools are different from the hospital so if you close the training schools, they become redundant.
"It's true, it's also concerns us as government that we have nurses who were trained and qualified, it is not only those trained in 2013 even those who qualified in 2012.
"The position is that the government currently does not have finances to employ these nurses.
"Our request was that this august house as we vote the budget, we should vote for more funds to be allocated to the ministry.
"We need nurses in the hospitals. They are supposed to be employed after completion…"
Committee chairperson Ruth Ladode told parliaments on Tuesday, that thousands of qualified nurses are still jobless.
"Minister, I hear you but my concern as a committee in which you also sat, you were part of that committee where we agreed that if we acknowledged if a nurse was trained in 2013 and up to now the nurse does not practice, literally we are saying that nurse is useless.
"We agreed that since Government does not have money, let us suspend training for three years so that we then recruit those who are outside.
"Three years these nurses who are already on training - so what is your problem".
In response, deputy Health minister, Adrian Musiiwa said it was not possible to suspend training as the training institutions would be redundant.
"Training schools by their nature are actually training establishments. They are just like a school.
"We have tutors, the schools are different from the hospital so if you close the training schools, they become redundant.
"It's true, it's also concerns us as government that we have nurses who were trained and qualified, it is not only those trained in 2013 even those who qualified in 2012.
"The position is that the government currently does not have finances to employ these nurses.
"Our request was that this august house as we vote the budget, we should vote for more funds to be allocated to the ministry.
"We need nurses in the hospitals. They are supposed to be employed after completion…"
Source - H-metro
