We’ll Recruit 32,000 Nurses―Gov’t Assures

Government has assured all unposted nurses across the country that it is working around the clock to engage them once ongoing validation processes are complete.

According to a statement released in Accra yesterday and signed by the Minister of Information, Hon. Mustapha Hamid, government had made provision for the recruitment of 32,000 health personnel, 27,000 of which would be various categories of nurses.

The Minister said in 2017 alone government engaged more than 16,000 health personnel who graduated between 2012 and 2015 and assured that the 2016 batch of graduates from both government and private institutions would be engaged in the not too distant future.

Over 200 graduate nurses on Monday besieged the premises of the Ministry of Health to demand posting to work in health facilities across the country.

The unemployed graduate nurses said several appeals to the Ministry for employment after they completed school in 2016, have not yielded results.

The protesting nurses were seen cladded in red and carrying placards with messages that conveyed their displeasure over government’s failure to come through with its promise to give them swift employment. They form part of the over 9000 government trained nurses of the 2016 batch.

The leader of the protestors, Samuel Asante, speaking to media men said: “…the hustle and bustle that we had to pass through to the institutions till now, you have still not posted us and you are here comparing us to the private nurses and telling us we are the same.

If you, as a father, you have not paid your son’s school fees, how do you then go and pay that of people’s sons’,” Samuel asked.

Monday’s protest distracted the peaceful registration of privately trained nurses which was underway at the same premises. The government trained nurses said, they found it difficult to understand why privately trained nurses were going through verification when government trained nurses were still at home.

But responding to their pleas, Hon. Hamid said government is doing everything possible to engage all unposted health personnel.

“It has come to the notice of government that since yesterday, some nurses who graduated from government training institutions in 2016 have been picketing at the Ministry of Health, demanding that they be engaged to work in health facilities immediately.

“Government wishes to appeal to them to discontinue the picketing and go home, while the Minister for Health works to get them placement as has been assured”, he said.

The minister further noted that, even though government had since 2014 stopped the policy of bonding student nurses, all efforts were being made to absorb all of them.

“It is also significant to state that the government of Ghana, has since 2014 stopped the policy of bonding student nurses, which basically means that government is no longer under an obligation to engage them when they finish school. Even so, government has made provision in the 2018 budget for the recruitment of 32,000 health personnel, including 27,000 for various categories of nurses”.

He assured that all nurses would be engaged, irrespective of whether they attended government or private institutions.

“Meanwhile, there are nurses who graduated from private training institutions from 2012 to 2016 who, as Ghanaians and children of Ghanaian taxpayers also deserve some considerations and government is currently capturing their data in order to engage them as well.

“This is being done with the 2016 batch of graduates from government institutions in view. We are therefore appealing to them, while assuring them, that we are working to get them engaged as soon as validation processes are complete”.

On the 500 Ghanaian citizens currently stranded in Dubai, the minister noted that the security agencies are tracking down those responsible for sending them there.

“The security agencies are tracking down recruitment agencies and travel and tour companies involved in sending young people to the Gulf Region, especially Dubai, under the pretext of engaging them in already secured jobs.”

By: Grace Ablewor Sogbey/ [email protected]