In the unprecedented 2014-2016 Ebola outbreak in West Africa 257 health workers lost their lives in Sierra Leone alone. An already fragile health system succumbing further to a lack of human resources.

Professional development of national health workers is a top priority for MSF. In January 2018, 50 State Enrolled Community Health Nurses were sent to Ghana for a 24-months scholarship program to become 25 State Registered Nurses and 25 Midwives. And before the first patient walked through the door of MSF Hangha hospital on March 06, pre-service training had been provided to 160 MSF Hospital staff. Another group of 12 registered nurses from MSF and MoHS in February 2019 started an 18-month diploma nurse anesthesia course at Ridge school of Anesthesia in Ghana.

On December 18, the Nursing and Midwifery Council (N&MC) of Ghana, licensed 47 Sierra Leonean Nurses and Midwives into service, following their successful completion of a two-year Registered Diploma training in nursing and midwifery programmes. The two-year nursing and midwifery bridging course involved four semesters of rigorous practical and theoretical work at the Nursing and Midwifery Training Colleges (N&MTC) at Korle-Bu and Koforidua respectively.



MSF’s Academy for Health Care, an international humanitarian Medical Organisation signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Health, stakeholders for both Sierra Leone and Ghana to activate the two-year training. The University of Cape Coast (UCC) served as the affiliate academic institution for the award of Diploma to the students, after the successful completion of their studies, whereas the N&MTC regulated the training.