Imagine ministers of state, members of parliament, government appointees working in Ghana with all the privileges of things they enjoy under Article 71 not being paid for 9 months? It is unconceivable, unfathomable and unreasonable to hear the cry and the plight of 8,062 ROTATIONAL NURSES/ MIDWIVES across the country of Ghana who assumed their respective duties across the country on the 1St of April, 2019 having received financial clearance from the MINISTRY OF FINANCE to pay rotational allowances. The clearance letter was signed by Hon. Abena Osei Asare, MP & Deputy Minister of Finance. One of the directives of this clearance letter is for MINISTRY OF HEALTH ( MOH) to ensure that rotational Nurses & Midwives have their documents processed in time and placed on the Mechanized Payroll EARLY enough to enable the CONTROLLER & ACCOUNTANT - GENERAL'S Department effect payment of their salaries. In addition, the financial clearance expires at the end of 31St December, 2019 and cannot be used thereafter.
It is sad and suprising to see the difficulties and pain these NURSES/MIDWIVES are going through in their attempt to contribute their quota to the developmental agenda of Ghana in the aspect of health. These young professionals have to live on borrowed money from parents and loved ones after all the huges sums of money their parents spent on them in the course of their training to rent rooms and feed themselves. They entered the labour market and their various hospitals with huge enthusiasm and joy with the quest of helping to put smiles on the face of their patients( clients). Ironically, these Nurses/ Midwives are more sick and incapacitated than the supposed patients they are caring for according to 'WHO' framework of health: that sickness is not just the absence of disease or illness, but anything that undermines the fundamental rights of the individual has a bearing on health. These Nurses/ Midwives have more expectation from their clients in this era than any other era that the world has ever known, ranging from managing various pressures such as in the emergency department, labour wards, outpatient department and so on. These 8,062 Nurses/ Midwives have made significant contributions to the total Gross Domestic Product ( GDP) of our country in the area of health care. Must we not take good care of the chicks that is producing the eggs? The little misbehaviour and misconduct from any of these professionals are never taken kindly, such misconduct receives a lot of publication from almost all the media houses in Ghana. To remain silent and quiet over the plight and the pain of these young and upcoming health professionals into whose hands the health of our populace lies, is the worst form of insensitivity and hypocrisy. Some of these professionals come to work on foot, others come to work on empty stomach, their creditors are taking them on for not paying their debts for 9 months now. Hungry in uniforms, they come to work nicely and neatly dressed yet suffering from " pocketitis"- their pockets are inflamed and they need urgent attention and hearing.
Questions that demands answers:
1. Is the Minister of Health aware of the plight of these 8,062 professionals across the country?
2. Is the deputy minister of finance who signed their clearance form aware that they have not even completed their biometric registration as at December 13th 2019?
3. Are the various Human Resouce Managers of the various health facilities across the country aware of the pain their inabilities to proactively and timely process the biometric registration has caused these Nurses/ Midwives? All the Facility HRs and Regional HRs have questions to answer as to what is causing this delays. These Nurse/ Midwives have to take car and go to controller's depart and pay unapproved money behind doors because of how helpless they have become. Can we start to hold duty bearers responsible for their actions and inactions? These young Nurses/ Midwives have assumed the functions of HRs and travelling from their facilities to controller almost every month for the sake of their delayed salaries, they are still borrowing to pay people at controller in order to have their biometrics done, this is a serious affront and a slur on good governance and leadership, duty bearers must sit up.
4. What are the various Health directors and regional health directors doing about this, since this is a serious matter of concern to all involving their workforce?
5. What is the Ghana Registered Nurses & Midwives( GRNMA) doing about the plight of these Nurses?
6. Is the general population of Ghana aware of this, since is the health of Ghanaians?
I believe it is time to address the fundamental issues undermining the welfare of our health workforce as a country, every worker is important in the developement of our country, to neglect the payment of allowances of these young professionals is counter productive and demotivating, to say the least. There is an urgent need for the earned salaries of these young professionals to be released to them as soon as possible. As Christmas is approaching everyone is preparing to celebrate; the Nurse/ Midwife in question does not have the luxury of enjoying any holiday, they are almost always at work all day long just to fulfil their hipocritical oath of saving lives at all times no matter how dry their pocket is. We must bite cautiously because of the danger that hungry Nurses/ Midwives can pose to their clients. How would they also enjoy after their hard days work? According to the letter of clearance from the ministry of finance, the letter expires by December 31st, 2019. This articles seeks to address the plight and difficulties that these rotational Nurses and midwives have being going through for the past 9 months. This is unacceptable and hard to comprehend. The earlier we address this issue, the better. I can not just keep quiet over these issues and difficulties of these young professionals without adding my voice to seek answers and clarity to this worrying issues. Share this article and share your comments as we address this plight now !!!
Rev.Jefferson Agbotro
MSC OD
FOUNDER & CEO, FOHA
Organizational Development Consultant.
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www.jakconsultant.com
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