By Godfred Aaneamenga Polkuu, GNA
Bolgatanga, Dec. 18, GNA – The Midwifery Training College in Bolgatanga, has launched its 75th Diamond Jubilee celebration as a centre of excellence in midwifery education.
The ollege began in 1950 with 12 pioneers to train as Qualified Registered Nurses (QRN) for the then Upper Regions.
From its modest beginnings, the college had been a resilient and adaptive force in Ghana’s healthcare landscape.
The launch was on the theme: “75 Years of Excellence in Midwifery Education; Sustaining Maternal and Child Health Care.”
It brought together officials from the Ministry of Health, the Ghana Health Service (GHS), the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Ghana, the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), religious and traditional leaders, staff and students at the college among others.
Addressing participants at the launch, Hajia Mary Lamisi, the Principal of the college, who chronicled the history of the institution, said it had over the years navigated the evolution of nursing and midwifery education with purpose.
“We transitioned from the QRN programme to the Enrolled Nursing programme. A pivotal moment came in 1974, under the leadership of the legendary Madam Grace Agbasi, when we began the post-basic midwifery programme with 20 students, formally cementing our core mandate,” she said.
Hajia Lamisi indicated that under Madam Alice Braimah as Principal in 1990, the college expanded its horizons by introducing the State Registered Nursing programme.
She said in a strategic move in 2006 under the leadership of Madam Ruby Panou Adom, the institution transitioned into a Diploma awarding institution, a three-year direct-entry model, which had become its flagship.
“We have consistently served as a critical training hub for registered midwives for the entire northern sector of Ghana and beyond, filling a vital gap where no other institutions existed.
“Today, with a total student population of 575, running both the Diploma in Midwifery and the Post-Nursing Assistant Clinical/Nursing Assistant Preventive programmes, our mandate is more critical than ever,” Hajia Lamisi said.
According to her, 75years on, the story of the college was not just one of longevity, but of impact, “It is a story written in the safe deliveries conducted by our graduates in the most remote clinics and the busiest hospitals.
“It is a story told in the declining maternal and infant mortality rates in the communities they serve. It is a legacy carried by the thousands of ‘Mothers of Life’ we have produced, who have become leaders, advocates, and the bedrock of maternal and child health services across this nation and beyond.
Dr Grace Ayensu-Danquah, the Deputy Minister of Health, in a speech read on her behalf, noted that 75 years of training competent, compassionate and dedicated midwives was a milestone worth celebrating.
She acknowledged the significant contributions of the college to Ghana’s health sector, as it had over the years produced generations of midwives who served in hospitals, health centres, and Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds across the country.
“Many are now leaders, educators, and specialists driving change in their communities. On behalf of the Ministry of Health, I congratulate the school, its leadership, faculty, and alumni for their remarkable contributions to health care in Ghana,” Dr Ayensu-Danquah said.
Dr Braimah Baba Abubakari, the Upper East Regional Director of the GHS, who delivered the keynote address, noted that at the time the college was established, Ghana was still on the cusp of independence, and that the health challenges at the time were immense.
He said despite the challenges including maternal mortality, limited access to skilled birth attendants, and inadequate health infrastructure, visionary leaders recognized that the key to reducing maternal and child deaths laid in the hands of well-trained midwives.
He congratulated management, staff and students of the college for their achievements and urged them to continue to be the “Centre of Excellence” in midwifery training.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali/Lydia Kukua Asamoah