A one-day induction course for 40 newly recruited nurses kicked-off, this morning, at the Ministry of Health and Quality of Life in Port Louis. The nurses, who have been recruited on a month-to-month basis, have undergone a three-year diploma in nursing at Polytechnics Mauritius and will be posted in the five regional hospitals across the country. The Minister of Health and Quality of Life, Dr Kailesh Jagutpal, was present for the occasion.
The Induction course will cover several topics such as importance of customer care, discipline, communication skills and will also familiarise them with the health system. The objective is to introduce the values and objectives of the Ministry of Health and Quality of Life so that the staff feels like part of the team as quickly as possible. It also imparts essential safety and risk management information, and gives nurses, the practical information they will need to begin their new jobs.
In his address, Minister Jagutpal highlighted that the induction course is designed to orient the newly recruited staff nurses on their roles and responsibilities and develop their communication, critical thinking and decision-making skills to enable them to perform their jobs especially in improving the quality of health care to the public.
He dwelt on the importance of discipline, communication and customer service since providing excellent customer service to patients will increase customer satisfaction. As for communication, he said, it assists in the performance of accurate, and consistent nursing work, ensuring both the satisfaction of the patient and the protection of the health professional.
It is also important to manage emotions at work and hence the need to develop their emotional intelligence, he underlined.
