Korle-Bu Nurses Petition Gov't

Prof. Afua Hesse

Nurses of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH) have petitioned government to release funds for the payment of their salaries owed them since January 2012.

According to the affected nurses numbering 678, they have not received any salary since their appointment at the hospital on January, June and July 2012.

The situation according to the nursing officers, staff nurses and the health assistants of the hospital was making life unbearable and the cost of living very difficult for them.

The nurses claimed they have used all appropriate channels to get their grievances resolved, but to no avail. They explained that letters of petition addressed to the management and authorities of the health institution are yet to receive attention after weeks of submission.

A copy of the petition letter addressed to the acting chief executive of Korle-Bu, Professor Afua Hesse, and copied to the Ghana Registered Nurses Association (GRNA) dated 14 th May, 2013 read, 'We humbly write with a painful heart to you concerning the delay in the payment of your salaries since 2 nd January, 2012 to date.

We are nurses of the above mentioned hospital who had our appointment on 2 nd January 2012, and has served for one year and five months (17 months) without salary.

Anytime we walk to the IPPD for enquiries, we are told the government has not issued financial clearance. We are suffering and the cost of living is very high for us. We are appealing to your outfit for immediate intervention or for further directives.'

However, the nurses indicated they have not heard anything from the hospital administration concerning their situation.

Again, a petition letter dated 10 th June, 2013 and addressed to the Minister of Health, Ms Sherry Ayittey  to inform her about the plight of the Korle-Bu nurses and their unfruitful attempt to get the management of the hospital to help solve their problem is also yet to yield any response.

The Public Relations Officer of the Korle-Bu Hospital, Mustapha Salifu in reaction to the issue said the hospital administration has done what it was supposed to do when they received the petition.

'Yes we received a petition from the nurses and we told them that we have done what we needed to do and now it is with the ministry of finance to finalize the document and release the money,' he said.

He however said that the hospital has asked the nurses to apply for salary advance for the hospital as mitigation measure while they wait for the Ministry of Finance.

'Some of them are applying, but others are not taking advantage of the opportunity,' he said.

Mr Tony Goodman, the public affairs officer of the Ministry of Health said the ministry was working around the clock to get the ministry of finance to release the money.

He however cautioned health institutions to pre-inform the ministry of new appointments so they could be planned in order to avoid uncomfortable situations.

By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri