Over 500 nurses employed upon agitation for financial clearance…
The Ghanaian government finally paid heed to the laments and cries of the unemployed privately trained nurses who have been on a picketing spree over their unfortunate situation.
News has been rife that over 500 members of the Coalition of Bonded Allied Health Professionals have been notified of their employment.
This was confirmed by the president of the Coalition, Solomon Yeboah who spoke with Accra-based Citi FM. Mr. Yeboah said the recruitment follows series of protests members held at the Ministry of Health over their unemployment.
Read: Unemployed Private Nurses’ Picketing Escalates to Cooking And Sleeping at Health Ministry [PHOTOS]
Most of the members he said have resumed work, some are also on course processing their documents to start work soonest. Prior to this development, unemployed health professionals staged a protest at the Ministry of Health to demand immediate employment.
At a press conference, the Health Minister stated that “his ministry has appealed to the Finance Minister to release funds to enable their clearance and posting”
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Unemployed private nurses earlier engaged in constant picketing at the Ministry of Health demanding immediate posting. The nurses lamented over government’s decision to prioritize the employment of nurses trained in public schools over theirs.
They described it as a preferential treatment on the side of the government -an act which contradicts the constitutional provision of equal opportunity for all Ghanaian citizens.
Picketing had escalated to cooking and sleeping at the health ministry as the undeterred nurses brought their household equipment to ease their stay at the ministry.
The determination of the aggrieved nurses was fully comprehended by the Health Minister when items like cooking stoves, pots, and other kitchen utensils were seen at the MoH premises.
The Minister had explained to the nurses that a financial clearance with other nurses names on it, was already issued before he resumed office, hence his inability to change the situation.
He pleaded with the nurses to exercise patience while his outfit waits on the finance ministry to clear them for them for posting. But the aggrieved nurses maintained they would not leave the premises until the government gave them specific dates for their postings.
Seeing the resolve of the nurses, the minister who earlier stated categorically that the nurses would not get employment soonest; complained to the Finance minister about the constant picketing at his ministry. He had also threatened to involve security if persuasion to calm the nurses failed.
Minister Kwaku Agyeman-Manu’s complaints about the massive picketing at the MoH seems to have caused the finance ministry to hasten the nurses’ clearance and posting process. The massive protests finally has seen over 500 nurses employed by the health ministry.
The Minister has said that from next year, nurses would apply for jobs in the health sector on their own without any help from the government.
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