The Ghana Nurse and Midwife Trainees’ Association (GNMTA) has given government a two-week ultimatum to reconsider its decision of revoking the bond between government and trainee nurses, midwives in public training institutions across the country, or face their wrath.
The Minister of Health, Kwaku Agyemang Manu, echoed these concerns in June, stating that bonding of trainee nurses appeared to have lost some of its value.
“We have several nursing training schools – some private ones have been training nurses for us…they pay their own school fees. So the value of bonding doesn’t seem to be real now,” he said.
But a press statement issued by the GNMTA and signed by its President, Batiah Semi-Ulah Santi said they’ve lost trust in government promises given to them during the electioneering period following what it described as government’s “killer and spider tactics policies they are implementing”
The statement added that government’s claim that the bond makes trainees to mount unnecessary pressure on the ministry in terms of employment of nurses is unfortunate saying government should not take the lives of Ghanaians for granted and reinstate the bond.
“GNMTA will like to reiterate that government should reconsider its decision of revoking the bond between trainee nurses and reinstate the bond because it is the bond that comes in the form of the trainees allowance and also the purpose of this bond was to curb the brain drain system in the health sector of Ghana to prevent nurses from moving out of the country to seek for greener pastures since the condition of services for nurses in Ghana is not something good to write home about and also the patient to nurse ratio is very poor or not satisfactory as at then and even now.
“Is the government saying that, there can no longer be brain drain in the health sector? Or has the government employed enough staff to man the various health facilities across the country to control the patient to nurse ratio which is 22:1 (PATIENT: NURSE).
“GNMTA is therefore hoping that our concerns will be addressed by government and the appropriate departments responsible for finding solutions to our problems and give as a response to that effect within 2weeks. If there’s no response within the two weeks ultimatum given then we will have no option than to speak in another language.”
Below is the full statement
4th July, 2017
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
GNMTA’S TAKE ON GOVERNMENT’S DECISION TO REVOKE THE BOND BETWEEN TRAINEE NURSES, MIDWIVES AND GOVERNMENT
The national executive board of GNMTA wishes to register its displeasure on the decision of government to revoke the bond between trainee nurses and midwives in public training institutions across the country.
We as trainee nurses and midwives can vividly recall that during the 2016 electioneering period, the then opposition party NPP,now the current government in power promised trainee nurses that, the trainee nurse allowance will be restored first hundred (100)days when voted into power, which was actually a welcoming news to all trainees across the country since NPP is coming to salvage them from their challenges confronting them,
Ranging from scrapping of trainee allowance by the erstwhile government, posting of trainee nurses and midwives after successful completion of their course of study ( thus getting them employed) and many more.
These promises actually descended very well into the memories of trainees and the voted the erstwhile government out of power to enable them get what was duly promised them,but what we are experiencing as trainees in recent times is totally different from the promise given because we have come to realise that the NPP government is now playing with our senses as trainees and throwing dust into the eyes of Ghanaians because of their recent killer and spider tactics policies they are implementing ranging from full restoration of trainees allowance within first hundred days in power which has even elapsed and now intended to be implemented in September and base on response from the deputy minister of health .
Hon TINA MENSAH upon numerous interactions with the national executive board of GNMTA indicates that government is to give this allowance to only first years who will be admitted into the 2017/2018 academic year and continuing students ranging from the 2014/2015 academic year entrants will not benefit from the allowance meanwhile these were the people government promised of restoring allowance to in full when voted into power first hundred (100)days . This might seem surprising to the general public but GNMTA will want to inform the general public that these are the plans of the NPP government.
We are saying this because in our first meeting with the deputy minister of health on this same allowance issue to know the following.
– The crop of trainees that will benefit from the trainee allowance?
– Amount to be paid as allowance?
– When the process will be started? And to also get documents covering how the allowance is going to be restored.
Answers to these questions were not given but HON TINA MENSAH clearly stated that the continuing students will benefit from the allowance base on the the number of semesters left for continuing students to complete their course of studies starting from September 2017 ,since there will no be payment of arrears and the current final years will not benefit from the allowance since they will no longer be trainees after completion in August 2017. Which we the national executive board proposed that a reasonable amount of money be be given to these final years as compensation since they were equally promised of enjoying the full restoration of the trainees allowance.
The deputy minister in that meeting stated it loud and clear to us that she will forward our grievances to the minister and the president of the Republic of Ghana for consideration and to respond to us accordingly but do you know happened next?
Upon making a follow up to the deputy ministers office by the national vice president of GNMTA on the feedback of our previous meeting, the deputy minister of health TINA MENSAH boldly denied that she never said continuing students will benefit from the allowance how much more final years who will be completing in the Month of August 2017 and for that matter to the best of her knowledge she is only aware of the first years who will be admitted into the 2017/2018 academic year. Quite a part from that the Hon minister of health, Hon KWAKU AGYEMANG MANU ,the deputy minister of health, Hon TINA MENSAH and Dr NSIAH ASARE has described it irrelevant for government to bond nurses and for that matter government will revoke the bond between trainee nurses and the government which we trainee nurses and midwives sees it contradicting with government promise to full Restoration of trainees allowance and in relations to the response from the ministry of health on the restoration process of the allowance.
GNMTA is by this press release telling government that we have lost trust in their promises given to us during the electioneering period.
GNMTA will like to reiterate that government should reconsider its decision of revoking the bond between trainee nurses and reinstate the bond because it is the bond that comes in the form of the trainees allowance and also the purpose of this bond was to curb the brain drain system in the health sector of Ghana to prevent nurses from moving out of the country to seek for greener pastures since the condition of services for nurses in Ghana is not something good to write home about and also the patient to nurse ratio is very poor or not satisfactory as at then and even now.
Is the government saying that, there can no longer be brain drain in the health sector? Or has the government employed enough staff to man the various health facilities across the country to control the patient to nurse ratio which is 22:1 (PATIENT: NURSE)
Government should not take the lives of Ghanaians for granted and reinstate the bond and also avoid saying that the bond makes trainees to Mount unnecessary pressure on the ministry in terms of employment of nurses.
GNMTA is once again by this press release informing government to revoke it’s decision of revoking the the bond between trainees and also pay all trainees allowance that they were promised during the electioneering period and stop throwing dust into the eyes of Ghanaians and also avoid playing with the minds of trainee nurses.
We will also use this medium to state it loud and clear that the 2016 batch of RNAC AND RNAP who completed college without allowance are still at home waiting to be posted and for that matter government should fast track the posting process and get them posted to avoid any inconvenience.
Last but not the least is that the rotation nurses who are currently offering their mandatory national service to mother Ghana have worked for more than four(4) months without service allowance and their forms they filled are still left unattended to at the various regional health directorates.
We want government to note that these group of nurses can not continue going to work on empty stomach and even without money to pay their utility bills,lorry fare to work and paying for their accommodation just to mention a few. We want government to note that if by the end of this July when this service allowances are not paid ,they will have no option than to lay off their tools and stay at home until when they are paid the allowance due them.
The above mentioned and elaborated concerns are the challenges which trainees are confronted with and therefore calling on His excellency the president of the republic of Ghana and his government ,senior colleagues in the nursing profession and concern citizens to please come to our aid and help address our challenges or else trainee nurses and interns (rotation nurses) will consider it that we are taken for granted and will have no option than the over sixty nine thousand (69,000) members of GNMTA coming out to speak to the government the only language the government of the day understands better.
GNMTA is therefore hoping that our concerns will be addressed by government and the appropriate departments responsible for finding solutions to our problems and give as a response to that effect within 2weeks. If there’s no response within the two weeks ultimatum given then we will have no option than to speak in another language.
GNMTA remains the only legally registered mouth piece for trainee nurses ,midwives and interns across the country and will continue to emancipate the trainee nurses through the philosophy of dialogue and nonviolence.
GNMTA: DOING ALL FOR THE HEALTH OF ALL
SIGNED;
NATIONAL PRESIDENT
Batiah Semi-Ulah Santi
0541412215/0205724736.
GENERAL SECRETARY
Deladem Woyi
0208102065/0545066744
NATIONAL PRO
Akugri Gadafi Avokbil
0248401659/0204708376
PRESS AND INFORMATION
Arhin Isaac
0271042505
ZONAL PRESIDENTS;
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Cc:
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From The publicity Department of Gnmta National.
