Tanzania: Nurses, Midwives Urged to Upgrade Skills

By Lydia Shekighenda

NURSES and midwives in the country have been urged to upgrade their skills to keep abreast of the changes in the profession for better services provision to the public.

That was said at Ligula Regional Referral Hospital in Mtwara region, yesterday by the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children Director of Nursing and Midwifery Services, Ms Ziada Sellah, while in a working meeting, adding that it is important for the professionals to upgrade their skills to pace with their counterparts in other parts of the world.

She said that nurses and midwives should use educational opportunities offered by the Ministry of Health to upgrade their skills, noting that they should not be satisfied with the level of education they have attained, while they still have a chance to go in studies.

"We should ensure that we go with the pace of our colleagues in other countries by upgrading our skills... previously nurses and midwives were studying to Diploma level, but to date we have people with PhD ... this means that this profession is growing ," Ms Sellah said.

Ms Sellah further said a number of benefits are in store for them, apart from increasing efficiency in their services' delivery.

"Skill development is crucial because it increases confidence at work, improve performance and be in a good position to acquire raised salary up the hierarchy that measures with your education," she pointed out.

On her part , Ms Jamila Hamudu from the Ministry's Nursing and Midwifery Department said that the authority in collaboration with some State stakeholders are currently reviewing the scheme of service of the professionals for it to be approved and become official structure for nurses and midwives cadres.

However, she stressed on the importance of the group upgrading their skills to benefit a lot from the new scheme of services, which have added responsibilities of the professionals and their welfare .

Commenting, Mtwara Regional Nursing Officer, Mr Ahmed Chibwana said the region has a total of 780 nurses, who provide services in various health facilities in the region.

He said the responsibilities of the nurses and midwives have been increasing in the present times, in comparison to the past, hence, called upon the authorities to look for ways, which would improve their welfare and reflect with their work.

On her part, Mtwara Regional Referral Hospital Nursing Officer, Ms Albertina Mlowala called upon the ministry to increase the number of health personnel in the area so that the workload of the staff is reduced and services delivery improved.