MP Turns Teacher

THE MEMBER of Parliament (MP) for Tarkwa-Nsuaem, Gifty Eugenia Kusi will start teaching sociology at the Tarkwa Midwifery Training School when parliament goes on recess. The MP�s decision to teach at the only health institution in the constituency follows to an earlier discussion she had with the school�s principal, Peace Ananga about the possibility of her teaching there. The MP, who disclosed these in an address read on her behalf during the inauguration of a new hostel for the midwifery school, noted she was very instrumental in the establishment of the health institution. Ms. Kusi noted that on her assumption of office as MP for the constituency, she was saddened by the fact that the area�s development had been very slow for years and that infrastructure for health and education were woefully inadequate. �I realized that good political leadership had eluded the Tarkwa municipality and as a result, most of the development projects had been left unattended to,� she added. She indicated that to enable her tackle the problem head on, she conducted a research in 2002 about maternal health services in the municipality with sponsorship from the World Health Organization (WHO) and the MP�s Common Fund to know the exact health needs of the people and the proper interventions to solve them. �Among the interventions recommended after the research were a new maternity and children�s ward, establishment of a nurses� training school, refresher courses for midwives and the provision of a new hospital for the Tarkwa municipality,� she said. The MP said when she realized that the intention to provide a nursing training school for the area had started since 1964, she rushed to the Ministry of Health to bring the then Deputy Minister of Health in the erstwhile NPP government, Moses Dani Baah to Tarkwa to inspect buildings meant for the school and promised to ensure that a nursing training school was established in Tarkwa. She indicated that the midwifery school was established in October 2008 and the first batch of 25 students were enrolled on December 8, 2009, almost a year after its establishment. Ms. Kusi added that the establishment of the health institution had contributed in the reduction of high maternal mortality rates in the area. She therefore commended staff of the school and the municipal health management team for a job well done.