The controversial Nursing Trainee allowance became the center of political discussion and a major political promise by the New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the lead to the 2016 general elections.
Many questions were raised regarding its sustainability, source of funding and most importantly whether or not jobs for [ads1]Nursing Trainees would be guaranteed as the allowance is coming without bonding.
Bonding comes as a Memorandum of Understanding between Trainees and Government regarding compulsory service to the nation after training which by extension guarantee the Trainees jobs when they are out of school. All these were absent in the daily rants about the payment of the allowance during the campaign periods.
These fears espoused by many were apparently blinded soon after the implementation of the policy in fulfilment of the campaign promise after the NPP came into power. And I must stress that there is no document stating how this allowance would be handled. This is evident by the fact that government appointees keep contradicting one another regarding this allowance. This goes a long way to expose the non commitment attitude pose by the government towards the allowance policy. It’s sustainable still remains a mystery since government is struggling to raise money to fund major projects and even to pay workers.
The meagre Gh¢ 400.00 that is supposed to be paid to students always faces the problem of delay and it seems quite clear to the citizenry that government is not committed to paying the said amount which is being displayed with the feet dragging attitude towards it. As I pen down this piece from the corridors of my mind, the November allowance is yet to hit the accounts of the Trainees and some are yet to receive a dime since the restorations were effected.
There are rumors being circulated on social media that government will only pay the allowances for 10 months. As I have earlier indicated, the absence of a guiding policy document is bringing about a lot of confusion.
As if that is not enough, at the mention of restoration of allowances, all the health facilities have resumed the extortion of hospital consumables such as boxes of gloves, gallons of methylated spirit, packs of cotton wool, clinical and digital thermometers, blood pressure apparatus etc from Trainee nurses before they are allowed to undertake their mandatory clinical services during and after each semester. Some facilities even go to the extent of taking huge sums of money from the students. This nauseating practises were ongoing in some years back but has been reversed after the official association of trainees (GNMTA) mounted pressure on Ministry of Health and Ghana Health Service to cause a reversal on such a criminal act being perpetrated by the facilities.
Lecturers in the various Nursing Training Schools have equally increased the prices of their handouts astronomically making life very unbearable for the students. At the end of the month when the students receive the payment, the expenses they have to cater for outweighs the Gh¢ 400.00 being paid them.
In conclusion, I wish to prompt government on these few lapses that have been identified with the allowance policy as mentioned above. Government should bring out a clean and clear roadmap on how the policy is to be run and also a roadmap on the employment of Nurses after training.
As at this moment, there are thousands of unemployed Nurses and Midwives sitting at home. Government should as a matter of urgency channel resources into employment of more Nurses to man the several health facilities across the country to help improve upon health care delivery instead of wasting the resources on non beneficial ventures. The over Gh¢ 15 Billion being approved for the Ministry of Special initiative can be used in building health centers and employment of the backlog of Nurses currently rotting away at home.
