Govt Explains Why Comprehensive Nursing Course was phased out
By Admin
The government through the Ministry of Education and sports phased out the comprehensive nursing certificate and diploma course in January this year
The State Minister for Primary Education Dr. Joyce Moriko Kaducu explained to parliament why compressive nursing has been phased off, saying this was being taught for a short period which does not provide learners with the right competency and skills.
“The course for nursing takes two and a half years and the course for midwifery take four years but the comprehensive handles the two in two years and eventually it was found out that this does not provide the right competency skills”, the Minister explained.
The minister was responding to concerns raised by the Koboko North legislator Hon Noah Musa during the plenary session, who demanded an explanation on why some training schools have continued to admit candidates for comprehensive nursing yet the ministry has phased it out.
Kaducu added that people who did comprehensive nursing will have to go back and bridge the gap they missed in midwifery before they are fully recruited into public service even when the scheme of service had not captured some categories.
Midwifery is a specialized course to handle specifically maternal and delivery of the baby.
Hon Musa Noah noted that comprehensive cadre is trained in multiple skills of nursing however there are challenges with the cadres getting recruited with public service as a result of the course being phased off, yet they have played a big role in the sector.
“Ministry of education needs to direct training institutions to give these students alternative courses that match their scores in a level and courses that are relevant to the world of work,’’ Hon Noah added.
According to Hon Noah the Comprehensive Nursing (ECN), training programs that started in 1994 at a time when the country had a critical human resource shortage in health played a big role thus urging the ministry to develop abridged courses for those who are trained in comprehensive nursing since they will have to go back to train again.
The ministry of education says the course is irrelevant and redundant; therefore there will be no more training for comprehensive nurses effective this academic year.
