The Jobless nurses and health professionals who hit the streets of Accra in protest of their delayed financial clearance for employment, are angry at Deputy minister for Health, Tina Naa Ayeley Mensah for what they have described as disrespect to them.
Speaking on the Morning Xpress on Radio XYZ 93.1MHZ on Tuesday, Director of operations for the unemployed Private nurses, Richmond Asomanin Marfo disclosed that when they were handing the petition to the minister yesterday, she “used her left hand to collect the petition” and refused to address them.
“After taken [the petition], at least she should have told us something little but she took it and left [and] our members were not happy about that,” he told Neil Armstrong Mortagbe, the host of the show.
“We voted them into power yet she disrespected us. Some of us are married with kids…some are even pastors,” stated Richmond.
However, the health professionals which include Ghana Nurse-Midwife Trainees Association, the National Health Students Association of Ghana, Unemployed Nurses and other graduates of allied health institutions, have said despite the disrespect from the minister, their two week ultimatum to government to respond accordingly to their petition still holds.
Demonstration
The groups that hit the streets of Accra on Monday, May 7, 2018 under heavy police presence want government to rescind the decision of employing them onto the Heal Ghana module under the Nation Builders Corps (NaBCo).
The aggrieved health professionals numbering more than 500 who also kicked against government’s decision to employ them onto the Heal Ghana module under the Nation Builders Corps (NaBCo), say the minister who received their petition on behalf of the vice president, Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, disrespected them.
They are also demanding financial clearance to pave way for their posting after many promises.
Chanting their own rendition of popular Dancehall musician, shatta Wale’s ‘Guy Guy’ song, the protesters in one accord shouted “2020 we go show Nana” indicating that the president, Nana Akufo-Addo has failed to live up to his promise for which reason they will vote him out in the 2020 elections.
Speaking to XYZ News‘ Kenneth Awotwe Darko at the Accra Hearts of Oak Park after the Deputy Health Minister had ‘snubbed’ them, one of the demonstrators said “The government cares less about our plights. We go show Nana in 2020. He has lied to us…See what the minister did to us. She should remember we voted them into power.They should remember the ‘Kalyppo Craze’ where we all drank the Kalyppo together. They should remember that we are their children.”
Another visibly infuriated nurse said “…The government has lied to us. The government promised us financial clearance in May and not NaBCo. NaBCo is a stranger to us. It came all of a sudden and we are even shocked I don’t think anybody understands it,” he said, rubbishing the employment of health professionals under a programme some of his colleagues had described as Youth employment.
Some of the protestors who spoke to XYZ News insisted government cannot classify them and absorb them onto the Heal Ghana module under NaBCo, after several years of rigorous professional training.
“It is not in the interest of the health professionals. we are not against NaBCo but we want government to suspend rolling us onto the Heal Ghana Module. This module is not in the interest of all professionals and the health profession is one aspect. It is going to make health professionals bitter because our colleagues employed into the Ghana Health Service will be taking more than us,” said Richard Osei Yeboah, the National health students Association of Ghana.
He said working under Heal Ghana means they will not have access to promotion and study leave, and therefore, pleaded with government to rescind the decision and post them as has been promised them.
Enrolling Nurses Under NaBCo Dangerous
NaBCo has received more than 40,000 applications in less than a week after its launch in Kumasi by President Nana Akufo-Addo, says Dr Anyars Ibrahim, its National Coordinator.
Deputy Information Minister, Perry Kwabla Okudzeto has also said among the applications received, the Heal Ghana module has more applicants than the other 6.
However, Austin Gamey, a labour expert has described the recruiting of nurses under the Nation Builders’ Corps as very dangerous.
Mr Gamey believes the act could lead to the loss of precious human lives if government goes on to get unposted nurses onto the programme, adding, a major profession like nursing should not be contemplated to be a temporary one.
“…The character and nature of the job (nursing) is such that if you know that you are being employed for a certain period of time and that will be the end of it, your mentality, actions and inactions can cause peoples’ lives.
“…We really have to be mindful about all these things,” Mr Gamey said while he admonished government to rescind the decision of recruiting nurses under a transient policy.
NaBCo was launched by president Nana Akufo-Addo on Tuesday, May 1,2018. The new employment module is to tackle graduate unemployment in Ghana.
NaBCo is expected to employ about a hundred thousand (100,000) graduates with Diploma and Degree, under seven modules.
Source: XYZ
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When you promised heavens and earth with lies and deceptions, what do u expect. If you win power with lies and deception, you will continue to rule with the same lies and deceptions and arrogance and pomposity. Akufo addo has not stopped promising lies. cleanest country in africa, Ghana beyond aids, 1d1f, 1v1d, big big big empty promises with no positive actions except lies, renaming of universities to J.B Danqua. WELL DONE! KING NANA ADDO PROMISE MAKER.
This is what happens when your president and vice are ro.gues .... Tell them the truth and win power genuinely... 1D1F, 1V1D , 1 nurse 1 permanent employment.... These are all evidences that these family and friends government is a ***barred word***...
u want posting after going to private institution with ur c7 and ur Ds, no place for u in the government sector with ur little brains, why dont u try the private hospitals
Guys, stay put! Be thankful that an avenue has been created for you to serve your nation. It's and always what you get but the question you have to ask yourselves is what do I bring on board? And don't think you're diploma/degree nurses so you should be paid more. Some of us are Masters degree holders plus professional certificates and are still home, so be thankful. Don't allow yourselves to be used for any Politician's bidding, at the end of the day, it's you, yes, you, your life. Think about it!
@ King Charles, I sympathize with your frustration at difficulty in understanding the Ghanaian brain. The best answer to this is tribalism. Some tribes in Ghana are so blinded by their tribalistic ideology such that it often clouds their judgements in both public and private discourse. That is why even the educated ones from these tribalistic communities in the country often fail to reason as PhD, Doctorate, Mastery, or Degree holders when it comes to political matters.
You people continue to be ***barred word*** by the NDC, what do you want an 18 months old government of a less develope country to do, I’m a serious critic of every government but it is crystal clear that the policies this government has put in place will yield good fruits for the country. Let’s think about Ghana and not do things because of power
they are also politicians . the ndc folks amng them will do something to support incompetent mahama
Can someone answer me here that has the govt. said NaBCO is permanent or temporal just for the graduates to get something doing/engaged and have experience? If the answer is yes or no I believe these demonstrators MUST hold their peace bcos it's not even force to register your name and be part of NaBCO please just be at home and fight for your postings pls
If these nurses think they can use their votes to threaten the NPP govt, they should have a rethink. The NDC is no good for them. THey should not forget so soon how their colleagues were at home for over 3 years without employment under the NDC and Mahama. If they think Nana Addo and the NPP are no good and prefer NDC and Mahama, they should try it. Sometimes I wonder whether as Ghanaians our brains work at all. The country has been through the most h0rrible and messy times under the NDC and Nana Addo is trying to revammp it by making sure Ghana works again and some fo000ls won't just use their stup11d brains.
Ahhh, this dep. Minister paaa. If i were u, i ll receive the partition with my foot and kick it into the trash. kw@sia fo) with your C6 and D7.