By Kudakwashe Pembere
In a move aimed at widening access to nursing training, Government is planning a hybrid funding model that cuts back on the number of state-sponsored students while making room for self-paying applicants, HealthTimes has learned.
Health and Child Care Deputy Minister Hon. Sleiman Kwidini revealed to this publication that the Ministry is working on restructuring the financing model for nursing education, similar to arrangements already used in the Ministry of Education.
Speaking in Parliament earlier on Tuesday, Hon. Kwidini had noted that concerns around nursing recruitment were linked to the cost of supporting students. However, in an exclusive follow-up interview, he clarified the Ministry’s exact position, stressing that Government was not withdrawing its support but adjusting the proportions.
“Every region has a school of nursing training but maybe to make sure that what the Ministry is working on right now is to make sure that there is a problem because everyone is complaining about the recruitment. The issue is about the salaries that are being paid to the students. As the Ministry, we are working out so that maybe we can cut off those salaries. We can do like what other institutions are doing, like the Ministry of Education, so that we accommodate everyone to make sure that everyone is accommodated, trained and deployed,” he told Parliament.
He later elaborated more clearly in his interview with this publication.
“It is not cutting off as such. We are cutting the number of the ones we pay for as Government and then we open up for majority who can pay fees for themselves,” he said.
Asked about how much trainee nurses currently earn, Hon. Kwidini said he did not have the exact figures on hand but noted that the allowances are not significantly different from those earned by registered general nurses.
The proposed hybrid model, once adopted, is expected to increase access to nursing training by allowing more self-sponsored candidates to enter the system while Government maintains a reduced but still significant sponsorship role.
