Nurses demand payment of extra duty allowance

Accra (Greater Accra), 17th June 99 ?

Mr Samuel Nuamah Donkor, Minister of Health, on Wednesday asked hospital administrators to ensure that modalities for the payment of extra-duty allowances of all health workers are submitted to his office by Thursday, June 17, for processing.

"Government would never be insensitive to the plight of workers," he told nurses who went on a demonstration to press for the payment of their extra-duty allowance.

"Your duty allowances have been approved since January, and one month upon submission of the modalities to the Ministry of Health, they would be forwarded to the Ministry of Finance for payment to be effected".

The Nurses from Korle Bu Teaching Hospital had marched to his office to find out the reasons for the delay of the payment of the allowances, which they said should have received in May.

According to them, the finance officer at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital told them they were not included in the list to be paid.

The Minister said the problem was the result of the lack of effective communication between leaders of the various health groups and their subordinates.

Mr Nuamah Donkor said on June seven, he met representatives of health professionals and various health groups to discuss issues pertaining to the payment of extra duty allowances to health workers throughout the country.

The leaders, he said, were to submit the completed forms of 30,000 health workers, including doctors, nurses and other para-medics, to the headquarters for processing as a unit and not by the different sections.

Mr Nuamah Donkor said it was wrong for nurses to take to the streets to demand be treated separately, and advised the nurses to always ensure that their problems are resolved through negotiation and dialogue.

Mr Austin Gamey, a Deputy Minister of Employment and Social Welfare, assured the nurses of government's commitment and advised them to work as a team and try as much as possible to channel their problems through the appropriate quarters.

"Your duty allowance would be paid as agreed upon in the resolution signed between your representatives and the Ministry.

"This would take one month after the input forms have been submitted to the Ministry of Finance for processing."

Mr Logosu Amegashie, spokesman for the nurses, thanked the Ministers for explaining the cause of the delay of payment to them.

He promised that they would go back to work, especially when they have learnt that the problem was the result of lack of effective communication between them and their leaders.

Early on Wednesday, a group of nurses from Korle Bu Teaching Hospital besieged the Ministry of Health bearing placards, some of which read: "No money, no work", and "It is time to act now".