Lusaka Province Health Director, Simulyamana Choonga, has called on Private Health Care Training Institutions in the province to strive and enhance standards of training of nurses in the province.
Dr Choonga has observed that there is a need for training institutions to update, upgrade and improve their training in order to produce quality nursing professionals.
He was speaking when he officiated at a meeting with private health care training institutions offering nursing programmes in Lusaka.
Dr Choonga noted that nursing is a core business in health care which cannot afford any form of compromise in training standards, adding that well qualified nurses are key in the delivery of quality health care services to Zambians.
He said the government has created an enabling environment for investment opportunities in health sciences training particularly nurses training.
Dr Choonga further noted that the establishment of 217 health institutions in the province is a clear indication that the private sector is thriving in the country.
He added that it is gratifying that Glory Academy College of Nursing, a private institution was among three best performing institutions in the last Nursing and Midwifery Council of Zambia qualifying examinations.
Dr Choonga, however, stated that despite many successes that have been registered, there is a need to address pertinent issues regarding the quality of nurses trained in the province.
He reiterated that his office will continue to provide supervision on the institutions through technical support supervision and spot checks.
Dr Choonga said this will ensure that Zambians are provided with the highest quality of health care.
“We have to look beyond because there are limits in the fiscal space in the public sector, so we have to produce nurses of international standard who can explore other available opportunities within and outside the country,” he said.
And University Teaching Hospital Adult Hospital Senior Medical Superintendent, John Kachimba has called on the private institutions to adhere and align with the provisions of regulatory bodies such as the Health Professionals Council of Zambia (HPCZ) and Nursing and Midwifery Council of Zambia.
“Some of the things that the regulators may say and do may not be what we want to hear but we must hear them. It is extremely important that they be allowed to regulate,” Dr Kachimba said.
Meanwhile, Senior Medical Superintendent at Levy Mwanawasa University Teaching Hospital, Charles Mutemba, said the meeting is an opportunity to engage with the training schools that are sending students to the hospitals.
Dr Mutemba said nurses are key as they are the frontline of the hospitals, hence having an ethical, professional and motivated nursing team improves the image of the institutions.
“We are concerned about the quality of the students because we want a service that fits into the vision of the ministry and also we want an improved patient nurse ratio,” he said.
The meeting which attracted representatives from various private institutions offering health sciences was aimed at discussing ways of enhancing the quality of nursing professionals being offloaded on the market.
