COHHETI urges timely release of ‘No-Stress Fees’ grants to health training institutions 

The Conference of Heads of Health Training Institutions (COHHETI) has called on the government to expedite action for the release of grants to Health Training Institutions (HTIs) under the ‘No-Stress Fees’ Policy. 

Miss Margaret Mary Alacoque, the President of the COHHETI, said the prolonged delays in the release of the grant could possibly compromise academic and operational progress in the beneficiary health training institutions.

Ms Alacoque made the call at the opening session of the 18th Annual General Meeting (AGM) of COHHETI, underway at Abesim, near Sunyani in the Bono Region.

The seven-day AGM is on the “Transforming health training for a resilient workforce: specialisation, innovation and quality assurance.”

Ms Alacoque stated that although the academic calendar was already midway through the semester, no institution had received the promised fees from the government.

She said as the nation’s health landscape turned complex, the HTIs ought to step up by producing a labour force ready to tackle modern challenges from emerging diseases and the demand for specialised skills for excellence.

Ms Alacoque said the HTIs required high-fidelity simulation skill laboratories to provide students with practical experience before real clinical practice, urging the need for the training institutions to emulate the excellent benchmark set by the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS).

The training institutions needed smart classrooms to ensure a seamless transition of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) graduates into modern health training, she said.

“Just as the E-Blocks were built for Senior High Schools, HTIs deserve H-Blocks to meet accreditation and training standards,” Ms Alacoque recommended.

She called for the upgrade of Nursing and Midwifery Training Colleges into degree-awarding institutions, as announced by the government, saying “there can never be a perfect plan, so let us start, review, and improve along the way”.

Ms Alacoque expressed concern about the absence of a defined Scheme of Service in the sector which demotivated staff and created leadership instability, saying the situation whereby some principals were asked to handover within a week without consultation was inappropriate, stifling progress and morale.

“Communication from the Ministry of Health indicated that about 13 countries have expressed interest in recruiting specialist nurses from Ghana,” underscoring the need for quality training, strong standards, and conducive learning environments, she said.

Ms Alacoque expressed worried that hospitals now charged students before accepting them for clinical placements, turning away those unable to pay, describing the situation “as impractical to expect each principal to sign Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) with hospitals nationwide,” warning that “if students lack adequate practice, they can’t be blamed for poor performance after graduation”.

She appealed to the MoH to allow HTIs to retain proceeds from the sale of admission forms to enhance their Internally Generated Funds, as practiced in other tertiary institutions.

Ms Alacoque said the future of health training in the country hinged on motivation, innovation and specialisation, saying that only then could the country build a resilient workforce to meet both local and global needs.

Source: GNA