The Ghana Nurse and Midwife Trainees’ Association (GNMTA) has petitioned the government to address the crucial problem of their unpaid allowances, which they allege have not been paid for over a year, in a news statement.
The statement, signed by its President Pascal Adumbisa, stated that despite urgent attempts to persuade the government to fix the matter, no resolution to the payment of trainee nurses’ and midwives’ allowances has been obtained as of yet.
He stated that the protracted payment delay has worsened the problems experienced by trainees who rely on these allowances for their education and well-being.
In fulfilling his 2016 electioneering pledge, President Akufo-Addo started the reinstatement of Nurses and Midwifery trainee allowances in Sunyani in 2017.
But throwing more light on the details of their petition, the President of the Association said “For over a year now, midwives and nurses have not received their allowances. We received an allowance in March. That was for three months and these three months that came in March were for 2022, not 2023. 2021, they made payments for September, October and November but June and December for 2021 were not paid, that is for those who just completed.”
He stated that the consequences of the government’s flagrant failure are already visible, as student nurses and midwives endure great financial challenges, impeding their ability to focus fully on their vital training and achieve the highest levels of proficiency in their industry. This failure, he said, is a big setback not only for the trainees but for Ghana’s whole healthcare industry.
Mr Adumbisa emphasised the importance of the allowance, stating that it is critical in assisting nurse and midwife trainees in Ghana, particularly during practicums. He claims that it protects them from high costs, allowing students to completely focus on their practical training without financial worry.
He said that the government’s failure to comply with their requests to pay their allowances would undermine the trainees’ drive and devotion, which might have a negative influence on the overall healthcare system.
” We call upon the government to rectify this injustice without further delay, to restore faith in its commitment to the healthcare sector, and to reestablish its role as a responsible custodian of the nation’s future healthcare professionals”, the President of GNMTA stressed
