Despite Bawumia’s promise, no payments have been made – Trainee Nurses and Midwives

The coalition of Concerned Nurses and Midwives trainees has revealed that despite the promise made by the flagbearer of the NPP, Vice President Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, in respect of their allowance, no payments have been made to the trainees.

Dr. Bawumia made the promise while addressing nurses and midwives during this year’s International Nurses Day in Accra on May 14, 2024.

“I wish to assure the nursing trainees that by Thursday this week, the Controller [And Accountant-General] is transferring an amount of GHC177 million to the Ministry of Health to pay the trainee allowances,” Dr Bawumia said.

The assurance from the Vice President follows an incident in the Bono East region where, during engagement with the youth, a final-year trainee nurse publicly asked Dr. Bawumia when their allowances were going to be paid.

However, the trainee nurses and midwives have yet to receive an alert of any payment from the Ministry of Health.

In a statement issued on Monday, May 20, the coalition said, “Despite the Vice President’s announcement over nineteen days ago, no payments have been made nor information provided on the disbursement process.”

“The government’s failure to address these arrears comprehensively continues to burden our future healthcare professionals.”

Also, the coalition emphasised that the GHC177 million announced by Dr. Bawumia is “woefully inadequate” to cater for the number of months owed them.

“The recently released GHC117 million covers only 11.5% of the total arrears, which is woefully inadequate. Furthermore, 30% of the trainees, approximately 17,430 students, have never received any allowances. This group’s arrears alone amount to GHC209.16 million which is even more than the paltry Ghc177M.”

“This calculation does not include the 30% of trainees who have never received any allowances, amounting to an additional GHC209,160,000. Therefore, the minimum total arrears required is GHC209.16 Million,” the statement added.

The coalition, therefore, called on the government to fulfill its promises and ensure that all arrears are cleared promptly, indicating that the education and well-being of nurses and midwives should never be compromised.

Below is the coalition’s full statement: