Unemployed nurses clash with Health Ministry security men

A group of unemployed nurses picketing the Ministry of Health to demand immediate posting clashed with some security personnel at the Ministry who tried to stop them from entering the Ministry's compound earlier this morning.

The personnel had locked the main gate to the Ministry's compound but the agitated nurses forced their way onto the compound triggering a fierce challenge by the security officers.

The Coalition of Unemployed Private Nurses, however, succeeded in pitching camp on the compound with the determination to stay there until the ministry had granted them their request.

The coalition, made up of over 3,000 trained nurses from various private nursing training schools lamented that government had consistently discriminated against them by prioritizing the recruitment of their colleagues trained in public nursing training schools.

At a press conference, the spokesperson for the group, Doreen Boateng, called on government takes urgent steps to ensure they are posted to serve as nurses at various health facilities.

“We paid our own tuition fees. So we should be the first to be on the list for government posting. We didn't burden the state. The unwarranted loyalty of government to train nurses and to the neglect of all other suitable qualified nurses poses a threat to national security,” she said.

Citi News' Anas Seidu who was at the Ministry on Monday morning reported that the group is determined to remain at the premises  till government acts in their favour.

Meanwhile the Public Relations Officer of the Ministry of Health, Robert Cudjoe has express dissatisfaction over the group's protest.

According to him, the group's protest was a demonstration of their lack of understanding of the pertaining issues regarding their employment.

He said the group had after series of meetings with the ministry agreed on a definite framework that would see them employed soon.

Various groups of trainee and trained nurses have in recent times protested against the government over similar issues of delayed posting.

Some have had to picket at the Ministry of Health for nights before securing their posting.

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana