Kenya :Court declares KNH workers’ strike illegal, nurses teargassed

 

Police fired teargas to disperse Kenyatta National Hospital nurses who had staged a strike in push for health workers’ service allowance.

 

The health workers vowed not to continue with the strike despite pleas by KNH CEO Thomas Mutie.

 

Mutie had a letter from the President’s office which was read to the nurses explaining the increment in house allowances.

 

But the striking nurses argued that the letter has not addressed all their needs and issues to do with the welfare of health workers.

 

Services at KNH were not affected by the stand-off which lasted several hours on Monday.

 

The union secretary general Albert Njeru had condemned the police for using teargas at the hospital.

 

“We urge the police officers to maintain security and not throw teargas at striking nurses,” he told reporters at the scene.

 

Moments later, the Labour and Employment Relations court declared the strike illegal.

 

Lady Justice Maureen Onyango issued the order following a successful application by the hospital.

 

KNH, through lawyer Wilfred Mutubwa, says a majority of the persons invited by the union to go on strike are medical professionals who are already earning the health workers service allowance.

 

The hospital further argued that the strike is illegal. The case will be heard on September 20.

GNCZ waives outstanding fees for Nurses in the Diaspora.

Director Nursing Services at the Ministry of Health and President of the General Nursing Council of Zambia (GNCZ) Dr. Lonia Mwape has called on all Zambian Nurses and Midwives in the Diaspora who have not renewed their practicing licenses in a long time to do so as the GNCZ has waived their outstanding fees.

 

And Dr. Mwape has said Zambian nurses in the diaspora should find ways of making their skills useful in Zambian hospitals whenever they visit the country in a bid to enhance good practices within the ward environment.

 

In an exclusive interview after having a productive meeting with the Association of Zambian Nurses UK at The Zambia High Commission in London, Dr. Mwape said, it was imperative that all Zambian Nurses and Midwives home and abroad were in good standing with the General Nursing Council of Zambia.

 

“I am encouraging all the nurses in the diaspora to take advantage of this amnesty and ensure that they renew their practicing licenses. What this means, is that they should come back home and renew their licenses for that particular year and the board will waive their outstanding dues. I urge all to take advantage of this opportunity and ensure that they are in good standing with the General Nursing Council of Zambia,” she said.

 

Dr. Mwape also commended Zambian nurses in the UK who have decided to give back to their country by offering their service whenever they visit Zambia as a way of appreciating the free nursing education they received from their country.

 

“Association of Zambian Nurses UK have decided to contribute back home in a visible way and they want to establish a model ward, which they should be coming back to and which can also be used as a training ground for nurses locally,” she said.

 

Dr. Mwape said, even though GNCZ was saddened by the huge number of nurses that left the country, she was happy to note that Zambian Nurses were representing the country well and were eager to give back to Zambia.

 

And Association of Zambian Nurses UK president Rachel Mwansa said “We have a duty as Zambian who had free education, free medical services to give something to Zambia. We may not have money, but we can offer the knowledge and the skills that we have gained here, we know what works and what we can put in place to help our nation as we look at reforming nursing,” she said.

 

Meanwhile Dr. Mwape and the Association of Zambian Nurses UK paid a courtesy call on Zambia’s High Commissioner to the United Kingdom His Excellency Mr. Muyeba Chikonde who encouraged GNCZ and the Association of Zambian Nurses UK to develop a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for collaboration to enhance cross-pollination of skills between the two organisations.

 

Issued by: Abigail Chaponda (Mrs.)

First Secretary | Press and Public Relations

Zambia High Commission in the United Kingdom.

Nursing Trainees’ Quota System in Ghana Officially Starts

The government via the Ministry of Health has introduced the quota admission system for nursing trainee schools, MyNewsGH.com can report.

 

The government has said the move is to help improve the quality of nurses in the country, according to the Ministry of Health.

 

The Ministry believes this will allow training institutions to produce quality nurses to meet the demands of the health sector, thus reducing unemployment.

 

This new directive means public and private institutions accredited to train nurses in the country will reduce their intake by almost 2000 nurses for the 2018/2019 academic year.

 

The Public Relations Officer of the Health Ministry, Robert Cudjoe, had earlier explained that the impact of the quota system will have on the nursing training schools will reduce pressure on the system.

 

“Some schools that were taking less last year are taking more and some that were taking more are now taking less simply because we did an analysis and came to the conclusion that some schools don’t have the facilities to admit the number that they have been recruiting and that is compromising quality.”

 

“As a nation, we don’t only have to train more health professionals but also look at the quality aspect so these measures are going to address some of these key issues.”

 

The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association has also thrown its weight behind the quotas despite the concerns that this will result in a shortage of nurses nationwide.

 

The President of the Association, Kwaku Asante Krobea speaking on our sister media outlet Citi FM in 2017 said that his outfit was “consulted and we gave an endorsement of it because we felt it was good enough.”

 

“It had become clear that the training institutions don’t have the capacity to cater for the large numbers they were admitting, “because of pressure from candidates that were putting in applications and also from other stakeholder institutions.”

 

This, in turn, compromised the quality of the nurses churned out, Mr. Asante Krobea added.

 

“We had situations where some individulas had completed the training but they lacked the condifences to confront the situations before them. Yes indeed, the quanitity matters to us but the quality was compromised.”

Why Men Who Marry Nurses End Up The Happiest

Nurses are a special breed of people who embody the rare combination of tough and  loving.

 

They know how to handle belligerent patients, gross messes, and still comfort people when they need it. And they’re smart. They’re the kind of person who is a true partner in a relationship and keeps everything moving forward in both of your lives. Nurses are managers, they know how to keep their eye on the big picture while making sure every detail falls into place on time.

 

In relationships, this plays out like having a partner with super-powers. Nurses push everyone they love to be the best that they can be. They deal with patients who quit and they want to ensure their loved ones have a better life than that. They’re fixers who love and support their partners while challenging them to improve and picking up the slack when they need help.

 

They come with the added bonus of being people who have learned to handle pressure very well. When you deal with life and death situations every day, you realize things normal couples fight about just aren’t a big deal. They aren’t worth throwing daggers over that could have lasting effects on your loved one’s psyche.

 

Also, nurses are fun. Because they are intimately familiar with the gravity of some situations, they know how to celebrate life while you are living it. They can kick back and enjoy themselves, and they want their partner to do the same.

 

There’s no other archetype that’s more ideal as a partner than a nurse. They embody the energy of someone who knows everything and has great advice about how to proceed. They understand that it’s okay to fail, but encourage you to do better next time.

 

As a couple, people who marry nurses are the strongest and happiest. They are real and put-together and full of love. They make everyone who dates them confident about exactly how loved they are.

General Nursing Council of Zambia 2018 Register Announcement

In readness to publish the registers for the 2018 licenced nurse and midwifery practitioners as required by the Nurses and Midwives Act No. 31 of 1997, the General Nursing Council of Zambia (GNCZ) is pleased to inform all nurses and midwives registered with GNCZ that soft copy DRAFT registers (i.e. Full, Specialists, Temporal and Provisinal Registers) were sent to all provinces through Provisional Health Offices (PHOs) for onward transmission to all districts as well as private, parastal and government health facilities and training institutions under their jurisdiction.

Therefore, all nurses and midwives are advised to check for their inclusion and correctness of their particulars in the GNCZ registers with their local management.

In an event of any omission of one’s name or incorrect entries of data, kindly submit your corrected entries to your local management who will in turn remit the same to GNCZ not after 10th August 2018.

Thereafter, the corrected version of the GNCZ FINAL registers will be published in the national News Papers as earlier on announced on this same GNCZ official facebook page.

Except defaulting nurses and midwives who have upto now not renewed their 2018 professional practing licences (for whatever reason), the rest should not panic or travel to GNCZ in Lusaka to make corrections to their particulars in the register.

In the same vein, those erronously omitted from the register, but paid for 2018 licences and have acquired the required 20 CPD points, are also advised not to panic, but instead just to scan and email their bank deposite slips and CPD record page to gncz@nursing.org.zm and copy to thom.yungana@gmail.com not after 10th August 2018.

Thank you.

Issued by

Thom D. Yung’ana

MANAGER REGULATION AND COMPLIANCE

&

SPOKESPERSON

For/THE REGISTRAR AND CEO

GENERAL NURSING COUNCIL OF ZAMBIA

 

General Nursing Council of Zambia to Publish June 2018 Result on Wednesday

The General Council of Zambia will publish the result of June/July 2018 examination result on Wednesday 8th of August, 2018.

 

This was confirmed by the council while responding to a facebook question by someone on the page.

 

We will post the announcement as soon as they are made.

Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria Begins Accepting NABTEB O Level Results for Admission into Nursing Schools and Colleges

APPROVAL OF NABTEB O’LEVEL CERTIFICATES BY NURSING AND MIDWIFERY COUNCIL OF NIGERIA

This is to inform the the general public, especially the teeming holders of NABTEB certificates as well as prospective candidates and stakeholders, that the Board of the Nursing and Midwifery Council of Nigeria has approved the use of NABTEB Ordinary level Certificates (NTC & NBC) for admission for  Nursing and Midwifery education in Nigeria.

 

This information was given via a letter, dated 11th of June, 2018, with reference number N&MCN/SG/RO/067/NBTEB/Vol.1/57, from the Secretary-General/Registrar of the Council. It states that the decision was reached at the Board’s 44th General Meeting held in April, 2018, in Abuja.

 

This is a laudable milestone in our collective drive for general acceptance of vocational and technical education in the quest to enhance human capacity and facilitate sustainable, technological and national development.

Requirements for Opening a Maternity Home by Nurses

Private Hospital Registration Law No. 30 of 1983 and the Private Hospital (Governing Conditions for the Operations of) Regulations 1996.

 

*Definition:* Premises where obstetric and gynecological services are provided including ante-natal, delivery and post-natal care, with bed care and nursing service.

 

*Minimum Basic Facilities:*

 

1. Out-Patient

 

1)     Waiting/ reception area 4 x 3 meters – with sitting facilities, registration table and record keeping facilities

2)     Consulting room of 4 x 3 meters with examination couch equipment for physical examination, wash hand basin and towels

3)     Treatment room with drug of 4 x 3 meters/ instrument cabinet, wash hand basin, towels

1)     Small operating theatre (Optional) not less than 4 x 3 meters for minor surgery needing local anaesthesia only

4)     Observation room with not more than 2 beds (Optional) and a minimum distance of 1 x 3 meters between 2 beds

5)     Facilities for basic diagnostic investigations (e.g sideroom laboratory) for urine,  blood and stool tests (Optional)

6)     Public health facilities shall include – Adequate ventilation, adequate illumination, clean and adequate water supply, pipe borne/treated borehole, tank water, toilet facilities (W.C.) exclusive to the clinic. Adequate arrangement for refuse collection and disposals and upkeep of premises.

7)     Other services – Ambulance (Optional), fire extinguisher

 

2. In-Patient

 

a)     Lying in ward with minimum distance of one meter between two adjoining beds or 1 x 3 meters between two rows of beds

b)     First stage labor room of 12 sq meters with necessary equipment

c)      Couch, wash hand basin, placenta receiver, baby resuscitation machine, mucous extractor, suction pump, weighing pump, weighing scale, etc

d)     Sluice room

e)     Isolation room

f)      Provision of D.D.A cupboard

g)     Dispensing room of 12 sq. meters with dispensing facilities

h)     A store

 

 

 

3. Diagnostic facilities

 

1)     Facilities for basic diagnostic investigations. There shall be evidence of an arrangement with approved laboratory and X-ray centre for the other specialized investigations (Where applicable)

2)     Provision of minimum equipment for running a maternity centre such as oxygen cylinders, sterilizers and other suitable equipment.

 

4. Public health facilities shall include:

 

–        Staff Room

–        Adequate ventilation

–        Adequate illumination

–        Adequate water supply

–        Adequate drainage

–        Adequate toilet and bath facilities – one water closet and one bath per 8 beds

–        Adequate arrangement for refuse collection and disposal of upkeep and premises

 

5. Other services:

 

–        Kitchen (Optional)

–        Laundry service – Evidence of established adequate arrangement

–        Sterilization of equipment

–        Fire Extinguisher

–        Ambulance (Mandatory)

 

 

 

*PART B*

 

Minimum professional Staff complements:

 

a)     A specialist obstetrician and gynaecologist or a medical practitioner registered to practice in Nigeria with at least 5 years relevant obstetric post-qualification experience for sessional supervision and available for emergencies

b)     One registered staff midwife or staff nurse/ midwife per 8 in-patient beds per shift

c)      One registered midwife with a minimum of 5 years post-registration in charge of nursing services

d)     A trained Community Health Aide per 5 in-patients

e)     One clerk/ receptionist

In addition to this, you are required to:

1. Purchase an application form and a brochure containing Government approved regulations

2. Have, on display, State’s Emblem of registration.

3. Ensure your practicing license is updated.

Bacteria are becoming resistant to alcohol-based disinfectants

Antibiotic-resistant bacteria and antifungal-resistant fungi are a worrying phenomenon. According to a recent study, a new concern may be developing: alcohol-tolerant bacteria.
Enterococcus faecalis

Why are Enterococcus faecalis (pictured) infections on the rise?

A number of bacteria species are already resistant to a range of antibiotics; the infections they cause are difficult to treat, posing an ever-increasing threat to patients and staff.

Because of the growing numbers of so-called superbugs, hospitals have introduced more stringent cleaning routines.

Part of the regimen involves alcohol-based disinfectants, such as hand rubs, positioned in and around hospital wards. Since their introduction, there has been a significant reduction in the number of hospital-based infections.

Containing 70 percent isopropyl or ethyl alcohol, alcohol-based hand rubs kill bacteria quickly and effectively.

Alcohol-resistant bacteria

Over recent years, researchers have noted a steady rise in the number of serious infections caused by one particular drug-resistant bacterium — Enterococcus faecium. Despite the wide use of alcohol-based disinfectants, E. faecium is now a leading cause of hospital-acquired infections.

Dr. Sacha Pidot and his colleagues at the University of Melbourne in Australia set out to understand whether this increased infection rate might be because the bacterium is growing resistant to alcohol. Their findings were published this week in the journal Science Translational Medicine.

To investigate, the researchers used bacterial samples from two hospitals in Melbourne — Austin Health and Monash Medical Centre. In all, they tested 139 samples of E. faecium, isolated from 1997–2015. They assessed how well each sample tolerated diluted isopropyl alcohol.

After analysis, it became clear that the samples taken after 2009 were significantly more tolerant of alcohol than those taken before 2004.

In a second experiment, they allowed bacterial samples to grow on the floors of mouse cages that had been cleaned using alcohol-based disinfectants. Mice were placed in the cages for 1 hour before being moved to clean cages for a further 7 days. After that time, they were screened for infection.

The researchers found that the more recently isolated, alcohol-tolerant strains of E. faecium colonized the resident rodents more successfully.

More work needed

To round off their investigation, the scientists delved into the genome of E. faecium. They found that the strains that were more resistant to alcohol displayed mutations in certain genes involved in metabolism; these genetic changes appeared to be responsible for their more hardy constitution.

Because this study focused on samples from just two hospitals in one city, the authors are wary of the limitations and call for further investigation. Although these are early findings, it is important to consider what alcohol-resistant bacteria could mean in real-life clinical settings.

[T]he development of alcohol-tolerant strains of E. faecium has the potential to undermine the effectiveness of alcohol-based disinfectant standard precautions.”

Dr. Sacha Pidot

Bacteria predate us by millennia; they have survived countless global disasters. Their ability to adapt has been tested and honed over trillions of generations. They seem capable of crossing any flimsy barrier that humans put in their way.

Because the potential ramifications of this study are serious, more studies are likely to be published over the coming months.

Source: Medical News Today

ISQua Fellowship: International Society for Quality in Health Care 2018 Fellowship Scholarship

ISQua offers scholarships to individuals who are both born and working in countries of economic transition whose work and region can benefit from their participation on the ISQua Fellowship Programme. Priority will be given to healthcare professionals and healthcare academics who are in the early phase in their careers and whose organisations are considered least able to afford such an opportunity.

Candidates will be considered from Lower Income (LI) and Lower Middle Income (LMI) countries based on the WHO and World Bank ratings. The aim is to have representation from all WHO Regions, dependant on range of applications received and the set criteria.

• African Region
• European Region
• Eastern Mediterranean Region
• Region of the Americas
• South-East Asia Region
• Western Pacific Region

Criteria for applicants

To qualify for the ISQua Education Scholarship applicants must:
• Have been born in and currently work in LI or LMI country and supply documentation to support this;
• Not have received an ISQua Scholarship (Education or Conference) in the past; and
• Be able to demonstrate the potential benefit to their work and region from participation in the ISQua Fellowship Programme.
• Not be a current ISQua Fellow or ISQua Member.

Application Process

The call for applications opens on 2 July 2018 and closes on 10 August 2018.

The scholarship covers:
• Course fees for the ISQua Membership and Fellowship package

The scholarship does not cover:
• Annual maintenance fees after graduation
• Any other costs incurred to access the programme

Application Procedure:

Applicants are required to:
• Complete an on-line application form which will require details the applicant’s education and career to date as well as a written submission of no more than 500 words on the potential benefits of their participation in the Fellowship Programme.
• Applicants are asked to send the first page of their passport and a letter from their current employer on headed paper showing that they are currently employed in a qualifying country. This must be sent to cusher@isqua.org after the application has been submitted.  If this is not received, the application will not be considered.  ISQua will not follow up with applicants to remind them of this requirement.
• Applications will be assessed by a committee.
• All applicants will be notified via an e-mail on the status of their application.
• Successful applicants will be given 10 working days to accept the offer and must enrol within 3 months.</

To apply click https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/XDMHT85