Coronavirus: Give us financial clearance now, the nation needs us – Jobless nurses

Unemployed graduate nurses have asked the Ministry of Health to liaise with the Finance Ministry to ensure that their financial clearance is released to enable them to be employed.

The nurses, in a statement, said the struggle for their employment with the Ministry of Health after completion of school in 2017 has been back and forth.

The leaders of the Unemployed Graduate Nurses Association were arrested and almost processed for court, the statement said, because “we chose nursing and midwifery and don't wish to stay at home while our skills rot when the nation needs us.”

“We would like to, as a matter of urgency, call on the Ministry of Health, in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance, to: Officially release the financial clearance and open the portal with immediate effect, for the 2017 diploma and degree group of nurses and midwives, as promised in a recent engagement with Dr Kwesi Asabire, Director HR-MoH and Dr Barnabas Yeboah, Director of Nursing and Midwifery, MoH.

“We also give the MoH/MoF a 14-working day ultimatum to release the financial clearance of the 2017 NAC/NAP group.”

Read the full statement below:

GRADUATE UNEMPLOYED NURSES AND MIDWIVES ASSOCIATION 2/04/2020

TO ALL MEDIA HOUSES.

A PRESS STATEMENT FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The leadership of the aforementioned group would like to draw the attention of the general public and all our sympathisers to the persistent deceit we have suffered and continue to suffer at the hands of the current government.

We can boldly say that after the 2017 group of Nurses and Midwives were denied trainee allowance during their course of training, the then presidential candidate of the New Patriotic Party and now President, His Excellency Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo won the 2016 elections on the back of the promise of immediate employment for the 2017 batch of Nurses and Midwives but has so far failed woefully on that promise.

The struggle for employment with the Ministry of Health after completion of school in 2017 has been back and forth, and not very long ago, leaders of this association were arrested and almost processed for court; our crime, we chose Nursing and Midwifery and don't wish to stay at home while our skills rot when the nation needs us.

It may surprise you to know that till date, we are still sitting at home and our juniors who completed and passed their Licensure Examination in 2018 and beyond, have joined the queue in unemployment.

In an attempt to calm the pressure after we announced dates for nationwide demonstrations, the Ministry of Health promised on the 23rd of January 2020 in a meeting led by Dr Kwesi Asabire Director HR, MoH, The Human Resource Manager of Ghana Health Service and a Representative from the Presidency to provide Financial Clearance for all Unemployed Nurses and Midwives who are due for employment before 31st March, 2020 but the said date has elapsed and that promise is yet to see the light of the day despite our full cooperation, which resulted in the decision to suspend our nationwide demonstration.

Leadership appreciates the efforts put up so far by the Human Resource Department of the Ministry of Health in the bid to secure our Financial Clearance but would like to register our displeasure at how woefully they have failed in fulfilling their promise.

We would like to as a matter of urgency call on the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance to:

1. Officially release the Financial Clearance and open the portal with immediate effect, for the 2017 Diploma and Degree group of Nurses and Midwives as promised in a recent engagement with Dr Kwesi Asabire, Director HR-MoH and Dr Barnabas Yeboah, Director of Nursing and Midwifery, MoH.

2. We also give the MoH/MoF a 14-working day ultimatum to release the financial clearance of the 2017 NAC/NAP group.

3. In addition, a 14-working day ultimatum to release Financial Clearance for the 2017 DIPLOMA/ NAC&NAP REFERRED GROUP and the 2018 batch of Unemployed Nurses and Midwives.

4. Duly execute the order of His Excellency, the President to increase the Health staff in the fight against the Covid-19 pandemic.

We would like to also thank the National Executive Council of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), especially Madam Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo for her continuous engagement with the Ministry of Health to get her junior colleagues permanent employment, even though we are not satisfied with the level of work done.

We also as a matter of urgency call on the GRNMA to request:

1. For their continuous support in the fight for our Financial Clearance and subsequent Posting.

2. That they sympathise with their junior colleagues by laying down their tools to register their displeasure over Government's inability to fulfill its obligation (the 31/03/2020 promise).

It is very obvious how important health professionals are to the country especially during the outbreak of COVID-19 and we as a group made up of thousands of unemployed Nurses and Midwives have been ever ready to serve our mother Ghana in these trying times and beyond.

We as an association shall advice ourselves and come out in our numbers to register our displeasure, should Government fail to respond to the above concerns.

In the meantime, we humbly call on all our members to remain calm and resolute as we continue to engage the relevant authorities through dialogue and a philosophy of non-violence.

Thank you