2020 Budget: Finance Minister lied to Unemployed Trained Nurses and Teachers again — TEIN

The Secretariat has noted with absolute dismay and repulsion about the deliberate falsehood peddled on the floor of Parliament to the teaming unemployed Trained Teachers and Nurses, and Ghanaians by the Minister of Finance and Economic planning, Mr. Ken Ofori Atta, to the effect that the NPP government has employed some Trainee Nurses and Teachers.

Under paragraph 19 (vi) of the speech delivered by Minister to Parliament, he claims “55,000 nurses have been recruited to enhance healthcare delivery” and “42,000 trainee teachers have been employed” under the NPP government.

As an intellectual wing, we find such display of intellectual dishonesty very worrying especially when it has become a significant trend of the finance minister and the Nana Addo led government since they took over governance of this country. We do also find this as a disrespect and an insult to the conscience of unemployed trained Nurses and Teachers.

The claim as germinated by the Finance Minister is not sustainable and cannot survive in the face of the statistics by the Ghana Health Service. According to the Health Service facts document, there were a total of 60,267 nurses and midwives in 2016 made up of 52, 605 nurses and 7,662 midwives.

Latest available facts by the Service shows there are 68,492 nurses and midwives. This makes the total number of Nurses employed since 2017 to 8,225. It’s crucial to note that the John Mahama administration sort clearance for about 8,640 Nurses and went further to post them to begin work in February, 2017. Therefore, the claims by the Finance Minister cannot be accurate.

According to the Graduate Unemployed Nurses and Midwives Association of Ghana (GUNMA), over 41, 000 Trained Nurses have been denied employment by the Akufo-Addo-led government.

Below is the breakdown;
*Diploma – 2017 August = 9800
*Diploma- 2018 February = 1500
*Certificate- 2017 = 16000
*Certificate- 2018 = 14000

The total number of these unemployed nurses who completed under the non-performing Akufo-Addo administration is 41,300. Which people therefore constitute the 55,000 Nurses and midwives the NPP claims to have employed?

It is on record that these Unemployed Nurses picketed at the Ministry of Health on the 21st of October, 2019 and as usual of the Akufo-Addo government, they were subjected to inhumane treatment and torture for exercising their constitutional right ie demonstrating and government is even yet to respond to their demands.

It is therefore surprising to hear the Bible quoting-Finance minister tell lies before his God, Ghanaians and especially Unemployed Trained Nurses.

On the issue regarding the payment of teachers and Nurses Training College allowances, it’s important to note that government has been very dishonest and only played around the debate of the general welfare of the teachers and Nurses students just for political gains.

Facts are sacred! and we wish to state them as it is;

1. Under the John Mahama administration school fees were relatively lower, a semester ranged between 1200ghc to 1500ghc for continuing students and fresh students paid between 1900ghc to 2100ghc as school fees.

Today under the Super Incompetent Nana Addo led NPP government, continuing students pay 3100ghc to 4500ghc as admission fees for various programmes.

1. Teacher Trainee now pay for their feeding and utilities under this government which used to be free. Government’s supposed allowance to these trainees is woefully inadequate to cater for the additional cost items which used to be free under John Mahama.

2. This government has cancelled the automatic employment of teacher trainee graduates and replaced it with an unnecessary mandatory National Service Programme and poorly arranged licensure exams just to frustrate their employment. Currently, 16000 Trained teachers have been denied employment.

3. President Akuffo Addo has cancelled the bonding policy for Nursing Trainee Graduate yet he has refused to complete and in some cases just commissioned health infrastructure built by the Visionary John Mahama government to create more room for employment of nurses since he’s unable to build some health infrastructural projects to create space for employment of Nurses.

It is an insult on the intelligence of the trainee nurse or teacher who has been denied permanent employment for government to praise itself for paying ‘allowances’ to such a person.

We demand an apology from the Minister of Finance and the government for the exhibition of intellectual dishonesty amidst poor welfare of trainee Nurses and Teachers, especially in these times of general economic hardship.

We also urge Ghanaians to show this inept government the exit door in order to bring back H. E. JOHN MAHAMA to continue his good works

Thank you

….signed…

David Dari
National TEIN Coordinator
0553152014

Thursday November 14, 2019,
Accra.