Coalition of unpaid Nurses and Midwives to take action if.....

01.08.2015 LISTEN

Ladies and gentlemen of the press, the good

people of Ghana, our colleagues unpaid and unposted nurses

and midwives, our beloved patients and their relatives, everybody out there, we greet you all.

The above group

comprises of aggrieved Registered General Nurses(RGN), Registered Midwives(RM),

Registered Mental Nurses( RMN), Registered

Community Nurses(RCN), Enrolled nurses(EN)/Health Assistants, Certified Community Nurses(CCN) across the country (3,000 and over).

With reference to our press release last year dated, Wednesday 29th October,2014,

We asked the government to pay all our salaries and outstanding arrears due us by 30th November, 2014.

The Ministry Of Health had a meeting with us after the press release and assured us that they are working on it and are putting measures in place to prevent future recurrences.

We were indeed convinced by their reassurances and heed to their words, hence cooperating with them by filling arrears forms and submitting all necessary documents they requested.

Surprisingly, the government has failed to fulfil their words.

Till date, our "outstanding salary arrears" are not paid and our Junior Colleague Nurses and Midwives are facing similar challenges of "unpaid salaries".

These negative developments sometimes force us not to trust any "politician" any longer.

It may interest you to know that members of

this group who are all qualified staffs have

been working for so long a time with least and longest duration being six months to eighteen months and beyond, respectively with only 3 months salary arrears paid and others without salary.

We keep wondering why government always advocate for quality healthcare, yet frustrate and traumatize Nurses and Midwives with worst conditions of services and unpaid salaries and arrears,making us "unhealthy" to care for our lovely patients ; forgetting that Nurses and Midwives are the "key" to healthcare, the central pivot of health system that all other healthworkers revolve around, and the majority in the health system.

This untold hardship

is simply indescribable.

The poor nurse/ midwife is required to work up to standard but peradventure something untoward happens, say negligence of duty or

malpractice, this nurse/midwife would be dealt with accordingly irrespective of the fact that his/her salaries and outstanding arrears are not paid him/her and that hunger, psychological and emotional instability

could account for his/her negligence and

malpractice (Refer to WHO definition of

Health).

answer is very indelible in the constitution.

The media and the general public have always been blaming Nurses and Midwives, but no one has considered how these challenges affect us during our service delivery. It really makes us "unhealthy"

The government needs to always put smiles on the face of every Nurse/Midwife, to ensure they are psychologically and emotionally stable to care for the sick.

This will ensure quality healthcare and good Nurse-to-patients relationship as we will always be smiling with our patients and relatives.

Our Nursing Profession is sacrificial, a call and also a "Job" that earns for living. So shall it remain forever. Hence government directives should not be obstacles to "our sacrifice, our passion and our call".

We love our patients so dearly that, our heart bleeds, we feel pain deep in our hearts and share tears in our rooms anytime government bad policies and directives force us to leave our "innocent" and lovely patients at the hospitals unattended.

We have sacrificed enough to extent that loan agencies are now chasing and threatening to arrest us for our failure to refund the loans we secured for our accommodation and transportation to care for our lovely patients.

This harassment cannot be tolerated anymore, while the government also owes us.

As a country, our Health is our "Wealth" and must be a concern to all.

How on earth can Nurses work for six months to twenty months, and paid only three months salaries, and others without salary at all, If indeed we want Nurses to smile with patients?

Government should ensure the right things are done to put smiles on Nurses and Midwives' faces right from home to the health facilities, and there will be a drastic positive change in Nurses-to-Patients relationship.

The Public should note that the Ministry Of Health through the Public Relations Officer, Mr. Tonny Goodman has given positive information that clearance has been given to effect payment, but as the saying goes "seeing is believing", hence we are no more believing in words till the "monies" hit the accounts of all Nurses in this coalition.

Notwithstanding, the Nurse-Patients ratio in Ghana is very poor. This exerts much work overload on us, hence affecting the effectiveness of the care we deliver.

We humbly plea the government to post all our Junior Colleague Nurses and Midwives in order to close the ratio gap to ensure "quality healthcare" in Ghana.

Ladies and gentlemen, we therefore channel our concerns in a humble manner through the media to all health stakeholders, including the patients, their relatives and all Ghanaians, because we are all "potential patients" and the whatever affects Nurses and Midwives, indirectly affect you all.

We hope that our issues are addressed as follows before Monday 24th August, 2015;

1) Payment of All salaries and outstanding Salary arrears should be ensured without any excuse or justification by 23rd August, 2015

2) Postings of our Junior Colleague Nurses and Midwives should be done before 23rd August, 2015.

Failure to ensure the above will force us to take action that may hinder health delivery in our beloved nation

Thank you all for your time, concern and attention.

God bless our Homeland Ghana.

Signed

All Unpaid Nurses and Midwives, Regional Coordinators.

Public Relation Officers:

Theophilus Doh – 0242276258 / 0206143132

[email protected]

Douglas Adu-Fokuo-