The Ministry of Health has said it’s committed to facilitating the recruitment of unemployed nurses and ensuring the payment of unpaid allowances.
In a media engagement, the Public Relations Officer for the Ministry of Health, Isaac Offei Baafi, asserted that the ministry has already taken measures to ensure the picketing of nurses becomes a thing of the past.
He said the ministry regrets the development but gave assurance the issue will be resolved. This follows a protest from the Rotational Nurses and Midwives Association (RNMA) on Tuesday, 16th April 2024. The group protested to demand that their allowances for the past 10 months be paid. It also demanded placement for members of the 2020 and 2022 batches who are yet to be employed.
Isaac Offei explained that the ministry is incapacitated without clearance from the Ministry of Finance but was quick to add that they are still working for adequate clearance.
“Unfortunately, we have gotten to this level, but we are all aware that we cannot employ without clearance from the Ministry of Finance. That also doesn’t mean that we are not working to ensure that we get adequate clearance and clear all our nurses who are not employed,” he said.
“We have enough evidence to show that after we received the list from NMC, we forwarded it to the Minister of Finance. Their leader, who always comes to negotiate on their behalf, can attest to the fact that we have given him copies of evidence to show that the Ministry of Health is committed to ensuring their recruitment and ensuring their posting,” the PRO stated.