The
Ministry of Health (MoH) has assured unemployed private nurses that they will receive
their financial clearance by the end of this week.
The statement from the sector ministry follows the threat by the Coalition of Unemployed Private Nurses to demonstrate if government fails to employ its members into the mainstream health sector within the next 10 days.
The spokesperson of the coalition, Doreen Boateng, who spoke at a press conference on Monday, stated that all attempts to get the MoH to ensure they get financial clearance for their onward employment have proved fruitless.
The nurses, who once passed the night at the MoH, have vowed to go all lengths to get government to employ them after years of completing their training in private nursing institution accredited by the government.
“There is no plan to recruit privately-trained nurses into the mainstream health sector like is being done for state-sponsored nurses. The government made it clear that it will continue to give priority to nurses from public trained when the president said in the 2019 State of the Nation Address,” she said.
“This is a clear example of discriminatory injustice, so we are giving the government 10 working days to reply this letter and we will press on our demands until civil society gets to understand that we are being treated unfairly and until government hears us we are going to hold a mega demonstration dubbed ‘Ku Me Preko’ to share our grievances,” Ms. Boateng added.
But the MoH, in reaction to the threat of the unemployed nurses, urged them to exercise restraint as it works hard to secure financial clearance for them this week.
“We are working feverishly at their [financial clearance] as well. It is not as if the ministry is discriminating or not doing anything about their situation. All that we are telling them is to exercise patience. We are positive that this week, we will be able to secure financial clearance for them so they should just exercise patience. There is no need for a demonstration,” the Public Relations Officer of MoH, Elorm Ametepe, said.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri