The time was around 12:40 pm with the sun shine at it's strength when I took a taxi from the region hospital to sunyani township. On board the taxi was a young lady in her twenties in a green uniform with white collar and you do not need anyone to tell you she is a Nurse. Good afternoon lady was my initial conversation with her and I asked of how the induction went. She is a rotational Nurse from Holy Family hospital, Techiman.The Gh200.00 was for a medal, take away and probably the chairs and the public address system used which put together should not exceed Gh50, what was the remaining money used for ? Probity, accountability and transparency is key from duty bearers. She has worked for 8 months without their monthly allowance. She is expected to show up at work at all time wether she has eaten or not, she is expected to pay her own medical bills in case she falls sick during the course of duty, she has to rent a house and still depend on her parents after completion of school. My search reveals that this Young Nurse is not the only one with this challenge across the country. There are myriads of challenges that the young NURSE/ MIDWIFE is confronted with today in the course of their duties. The expectation of clients on the NURSE/ MIDWIFE is so high that these professionals have to meet the high demands and pressure of taking care of their patients at the expense of their health and very life. My one-one interview with most of them only gave credence and validated this assertion. Various Human Resource Departments across hospitals in Ghana have NEGLECTED their duties of making sure that these young professionals have their biometric registration done which means that they have being processed to receive their monthly allowance due them legally, it is suprising and shocking that after 8 months of work many have not even done their biometric registration? The young professionals have to come to work on empty stomach, and for the vulnerable young ladies, unsrupulous men are taking advantage of their financial situations to unduely abuse them. These young ones have to be left to their fate to be travelling from various points of the country to COUNTROLLER & ACCOUNTANT GENERAL'S office in order to be validated for their unpaid allowance arrears. This is very unfortunate and an affront on their fundamental rights to earn rightful salary at the end of the month. Many of these professionals have to live on borrowed money from family and friends. They are in uniforms everyday yet they are bleeding internally. The NURSING & MIDWIFERY Leadership across the country have alsoafailed to fight for their young ones, the time to to rise and speak for these vulnerable young professional is now or never, the minister of health is hereby called upon as a matter of urgency to make sure these perinnial problem of unpaid salaries and allowances for these professionals are solved in order to have a motivated workforce for good health outcome. It is never possible to receive quality health care from hungry nurses/ midwives who can not even have a square meal a day. Institutions must work efficiently and government must also intervene in order to take itself from this blame. It is a great shame on the entire Nursing & Midwifery Fraternity across the nation to leave these upcoming feeble professionals to fight on their own. Immorality and begging has become a common phenomenon as a result of the aforementioned challenge. The earlier this issue is addressed, the better for us all in Ghana since NURSES/ MIDWIVES forms over 50% of the health workforce across the world.
In the midst of all these hardships, these young professionals have to pay Gh 470.00 for induction, take cars from various destinations for this ceremony, others are going to stay home after induction, others are going back to work on hungry stomaches, others must do all their best to redeem the debt of their induction fee which to me did not give so much value for the money laid when this pressing issues were neglected in speeches delivered by various dignitaries but only telling them to respect and work hard to behold the tenets of the profession, this is not possible on empty stomach, is it that they are not aware or it was an oversight? Address the fundamental issues now in order to ensure the achievement of SDG 3 by 2030. As next year marks the year of the NURSE/MIDWIFE by WHO, it is important to critically examine the things that undermines the very dignity and the fundamental rights of the NURSE/MIDWIFE across the country Ghana and by extension the world at large.
Rev.Jefferosn Agbotro
Founder & CEO, FOHA
www.fohaghana.org
www.jakconsultant.com
www.founder.fohaghana.org
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