Mahama has made nursing training more expensive than university education - Napo

Opposition politician Matthew Opoku Prempeh says realities in the health sector shows government's commitment to health education has been tardy.

Under President John Mahama, "now it is more expensive to get into nursing training school than the university" the Manhyia South MP said, noting some nursing students pay GHC 4,000 as tuition.

"...even universities don't charge that much", he said. Public universities charge at least GHC1,200 as tuition fees.

Making his case that nursing trainees are worse off under President John Mahama than ever before, the NPP member on Parliament's Health Committee said nursing students no longer receive the GHC 400 monthly allowances they enjoyed before Mr. Mahama took over the reigns of government.

"You have cut nursing trainee allowance when you said in your manifesto that you were going to increase it. You have cut it to zero," he said on Joy FM's Super Morning Show debate on the governmnet's record in the health sector.

Nursing students in need of funding now have the option of going for a government-run student loans. Matthew Opoku Prempeh said the loans are inadequate because under the allowance scheme, the nurses got at least 4,800 a year. The loans places a limit of GHC1,600 per annum.

Matthew Opoku Prempeh popularly referred to as 'Napo' accused government of fleecing students by over-selling nursing training application forms averagely at GHC100.

He said he would have expected the ministry to plough back the proceeds into improving the quality of nursing training schools. But instead, the monies raised through the sale of application forms are dissipated on buying cars and MOH TV sets.

He said with an inadequate budget of GHC 3.6m for services and administration, the Health minister who was in the studio, should be prioritising on important expenditure.

Health Minister Alex Segbefia however suggested the huge numbers of application forms shows that the increase in tuition has not dimmed the desire to train as nurses.

The minister explained there is no evidence that student's interest in pursuing nursing programs have not been dampened by the scrapping of the allowance.

The minister clarified that the cost of tuition for nursing training is not GHC4,000. "Total amount for students to pay was 2,200 to 2500...anybody who has a reason to charge more than that has to apply ...and give reason".

He said the ministry suspended three heads of nursing training schools for charging unapproved fees.

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