Equatorial Guinea And Spain Cooperate To Build Capacity In The Public Health System

Ministry of Health and Social Welfare trains 62 nurses

MALABO, Equatorial Guinea, Oct. 4, 2012 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Equatorial Guinea's Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has concluded the training of 62 nurses as part of the government's efforts to improve the public health care system in Equatorial Guinea. The latest program was carried out in cooperation with the Foundation for the Development of Nursing (FUDEN) and the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development (AECID).

The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare invested in the nurse-training program, which began in Bata in 2011, to improve and increase the nursing workforce. The Ministry has also assumed responsibility for reintroducing auxiliary nurses, who are now to be designated nursing assistants.

The nursing training has been done in collaboration with the National University of Equatorial Guinea.  The students have received theoretical and practical courses during a two-term program.

Margarita Solana, FUDEN nurse involved in this project, said, "The training enables auxiliary nurses to learn and improve health, as it enables better patient care. She continued to say, "It is satisfying to see how nurses want to improve, increase their knowledge and boost the performance of their hospital."

"Equatorial Guinea continues to strive to improve the health sector and this is notable by our ongoing training courses," said Minister of Health and Social Welfare Tomas Mecheba Fernandez. We have trained 62 nurses in Bata and 47 in Malabo in collaboration with FUDEN and AECID to provide better health care in the country,"

Equatorial Guinea is set to prepare a new generation of health care professionals, and this program is one of several training courses aimed at improving the profession's capabilities. For instance, groups of medical students have traveled to universities around the world, including those of Cuba, Morocco and China, to advance their medical skills. The government of Equatorial Guinea is seeking additional opportunities to cooperate with its international counterparts and investing in capacity-building in the health sector.

About Equatorial Guinea
The Republic of Equatorial Guinea (Republica de Guinea Ecuatorial) is the only Spanish-speaking country in Africa, and one of the smallest nations on the continent. In the late-1990s, American companies helped discover the country's oil and natural gas resources, which only within the last five years began contributing to the global energy supply. Equatorial Guinea is now working to serve as a pillar of stability and security in its region of West Central Africa. The country hosted the 2011 Summit of the African Union, 2012 Africa Cup of Nations and 2012 Leon H. Sullivan Summit. For more information, visit http://www.guineaecuatorialpress.com.

SOURCE Republic of Equatorial Guinea