Unemployed health workers speak out

Source: Daily Guide Ghana  -  The Coalition of Unemployed Nurses and Midwives & Ghana Nurse-Midwife Trainees Association (GNMTA) has registered their displeasure at development in the health ministry as far as employment of graduate nurses and midwives is concerned.

The coalition, with a membership of about 2,000, disclosed that they have not till date been employed by the government after the completion of their training at the various government institutions.

The members also mentioned that after passing their licensing examination in August 2013 and completing the mandatory 52 week rotation (National Service) in January 2015, they were hoping to be employed, but that had proved futile.

A statement signed by the GNMTA National President, Emmanuel Geyevo, said the graduates of the 2014 batch of the certificate programme were also currently unemployed.

Factually, these aggrieved professionals were bonded with the Ministry of Health to serve for a period of five years as nurses, midwives and health assistants to augment quality healthcare in Ghana, according to the statement.

The statement observed that “unfortunately however, government after committing huge sum of tax payers money (about GHc10,000 per trainee) into training of these professionals has decided to waste this money, our skills and knowledge by keeping us unemployed while these tax payers need us in the various health facilities and communities for curative and preventive services respectively.”

The current nurse-patient ratio status in the country is believed to be very pathetic and many are those who believe the government needs to double up efforts in arresting the situation.

But, surprisingly, according to GNMTA, “Government among other key stakeholders is not perturbed with the current abysmal status of the nurse-patient ratio in Ghana. That is, one nurse is to about twenty-five patients (1:25).

“The nurse to population of one nurse to 1,251 Ghanaian citizens (1: 1251) is even worse; how can we attain quality healthcare? Meanwhile, we have qualified professionals ready to contribute optimistically and assiduously to the satisfaction of the nation as a whole.

GNMTA claimed that the health of Ghanaians would be at risk “if the knowledge and skills of these professionals are wasted any further.”