The Chairman of Parliament’s Appointments Committee, Joseph Osei-Owusu, has called on the Health Minister-designate, Kwaku Agyemang-Manu to prioritize the orientation of healthcare providers in the country.

Giving his closing remarks to the nominee after some five hours of gruelling questions and answers, the Chairman urged him to focus on building up the professional capacities of nurses especially.

Joseph Osei-Owusu, who is also the First Deputy Speaker of Parliament, said that the attitudes of these healthcare providers, juxtaposed with the facilities they work in, and the outputs they are supposed to exhibit, do not match.

“I don’t have a question, but I just want to urge you to look at attitude of healthcare professionals. We have very beautiful facilities but when you do in, the care you get is not commensurate with the beauty of the infrastructure. The healthcare professionals, their attitudes are appalling. They don’t have emergency attitude.

“In some of the small communities, while the patient is lamenting, crying, they are on their phone – nurses and others are on their phones, ignoring the patient. I think we must pay attention to their orientation," he said.