Mr Obour Daniel ( middle) addressing the press conference. With him are Mr Bright Bell (left) and Mr Ayibasu Michael. Photo Michael Ayeh
More than 8,000 unemployed bonded nurses and midwives and allied health graduates have decided to picket at the Jubilee House on October 29 to their demand for financial clearance and postings.
The number is made up of 7,850 graduate nurses and midwives and 700 allied health graduates.
The president of the Coalition of Unemployed Bonded Nurses and Midwives, Mr Daniel Obourm, said the action was to draw President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo’s attention to use his office to get them cleared and posted immediately.
Mr Obour announced yesterday at a press conference held in Accra to express their predicament to the government and Ghanaians at large.
He said, on September 10 this year, the Minister of Health, Mr Kwaku Agyeman Manu, at the mid-year review programme of the Nurses and Midwifery Council said the ministry had received clearance for the recruitment of bonded nurses and midwives.
But , he stated that checks by the coalition with the Human Resource Department and the Executive Director, Health Institution Secretariat at the Ministry of Health indicated that there was no clearance for bonded nurses and midwives.
Mr Obour said “there is no clearance for bonded nurses and midwives, as was reported.”
According to Mr Obour, some of his colleagues were now into menial jobs such as head porting, shop keeping, as security men and as bus drivers for survival.
“We cannot be employed by any private health firm because of the bond we took otherwise government will take legal action against us in breach of the bond we took.
“Per the requirements of the bond, we are to serve the government of Ghana for a period of five years immediately after completion of training and in case of default would have to pay the full bond sum which was equivalent to the cost of training including allowances, all salaries received during the period, revised for inflation and currency fluctuations plus compound interest at the prevailing interest rate,” he stated.
Mr Obour said the knowledge and skills gained during the period of training was not being utilised adding that “we are not able to further our education.”
The president of the Coalition of Allied Health Graduates(COHAG), Mr Bright Bell said the fate of the 2016 batch of allied health graduates remained unknown after several failed promises and reassurances from the government.
He said “this is gradually turning into the longest period of unemployment seen by the health sector,” stating that retired staff of 2017 and 2018 in various health facilities were yet to be replaced, creating a human resource deficit in the health sector.
“This has also contributed greatly to the ‘no bed’ mantra and working staff are forced to forfeit their study and annual leaves as personnel to patient ratio keeps deteriorating with time,” he lamented.
BY JEMIMA ESINAM KUATSINU AND DAVID TAKYI
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