Govt commends NBM for scholarships
Minister of Health Catherine Gotani Hara has commended National Bank of Malawi (NBM) for providing scholarships to 20 nursing students studying in the Christian Health Association (CHAM) facilities.
Speaking during the cheque presentation ceremony at Nkhoma Nursing School last weekend, Hara said government is delighted to see such initiatives because they help students who would have otherwise struggled to find resources to undergo the nursing training.
Said Hara: “As government, we are greatly pleased with the gesture shown by National Bank because the burden of the need for assistance among our youth to acquire necessary skills that would develop this country is huge. The achievements of all the students receiving the bursaries today prove that given the right opportunity, our young people can strive and do well.”
She said the Malawi Health sector has been faced with the shortage of professional health workers to the extent that the current patient ratio is at 1 to 2 500.
“This ratio is not good enough if we are to reduce the death, especially of mothers and children and what National Bank has done will go a long way in increasing the number of nurses in our hospitals,” said Hara.
National Bank chief executive officer George Partridge said they noted through various media that some CHAM students were in dire need of assistance on scholarships mainly in areas to do with nursing and midwifery technician.
“As a bank we thought of responding positively to this plight faced by those students who desperately wanted to pursue these programs but their means were insufficient,” said Partridge.
He said, ” the scholarships have been designed to create pathways for students to gain long term careers with the Ministry of Health as well as make contribution towards alleviating the shortage of health workers in the country.”
