Unemployed Medical Professionals Threaten Demo

07.10.2019 LISTEN

A group calling itself Unemployed Medical Laboratory Professionals are calling on government to demand financial clearance for recruitment or face their wrath.

The group comprising of 2013 to 2018 are yet to receive clearance from the Ministry of Health.

In a release issued, they said the ministry in June 2019 cleared about 3,632 to recruit only nursing professionals from 2012 to 2016 upon a request to fill verification forms for recruitment but however excluding medical laboratory professionals.

The group claim to comprise of Medical Laboratory Scientists, Medical Laboratory Technicians and Medical Laboratory Assistants from the various private institutions and public universities (KNUST, UG, UDS, UCC and UHAS) who have graduated and passed the licensure exams conducted by the Allied health Professions Council and have obtained the requisite license to practice in Ghana.

It said checks at the hospital indicates that there are vacancies to accommodate them strangely can’t phantom the delay, accusing the ministry of a deliberate side-lined.

They have cautioned that “We may not be able to hold our desire to picket and sleep over at the Ministry of Health, Jubilee House including our regulatory body, Allied Health Professions Council if the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Finance do not grant us clearance for employment.”

Read Below Full Statement

PRESS RELEASE

7TH OCTOBER, 2019

UNEMPLOYED MEDICAL LABORATORY PROFESSIONALS ARE REMINDING THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH ABOUT THEIR FINANCIAL CLEARANCE SINCE FEBRUARY 2018.

We are qualified unemployed medical laboratory professionals from both private and public institutions accredited by the Allied Health Profession Council, (AHPC). We comprise of *Medical Laboratory Scientists, Medical Laboratory Technicians and Medical Laboratory Assistants* from the various private institutions and public universities *(KNUST, UG, UDS, UCC and UHAS)* who have graduated and passed the licensure exams conducted by the Allied health Professions Council and have obtained the requisite license to practice in Ghana.

We the above mentioned cadres of professionals are disheartened about the country’s injustices to us.

*Since 2013* there has never been financial clearance for Medical Laboratory Professionals from private institutions and public universities, meanwhile there are vacancies in our *Hospitals*, *Clinic*, and *Health Facilities* across the country.

Now Ghana as a country, and its medical standard, have grown to the level where many hands are needed on the job, and for that matter the need to involve the public universities and private trained medical laboratory professionals to augment the current work force as far as laboratory professionals are concerned in the country.

We were informed by Ministry of health in *February, 2018* to fill verification forms for recruitment but later to hear that government has released *3,632 financial clearances* to recruit only one cadre of private professionals from *2012 to 2016* on *25th June 2019*, meanwhile we all submitted the same verification forms to the Ministry of Health.

Is it that the Ministry of Health does not want to employ medical laboratory professionals from private institutions and public universities? Now we keep on renewing our licenses every year without using them and when it expires, we have to borrow money to attend to 2 or 3 workshops in order to renew our Pins at an exceeding cost.

In our last meeting with the Ministry of Health held on *3rd June, 2019* with some official representatives from MOH, we were given assurance that they were going to seek clearance for medical laboratory professionals. On *Sunday, 18th August, 2019* at Issa, the capital of the Daffiama-Bisie-Issa district of the upper west region, the Ministry of Health's minister, Hon. Kwaku Agyemang Manu said that his outfit is seeking financial clearance from finance ministry to commence the recruitment of nurses and midwives who completed their training in *2017* and *2018*. Meanwhile, out of the *42,293* health personnel given clearance to work this year, only *11* were medical laboratory professionals.

We therefore, wish to remind the Ministry of Health of their promise to get the necessary clearance to engage us to practice professionally.

We have restrained our members from engaging in activities that might not speak well for the ministry.

We may not be able to hold our desire to picket and sleep over at the *Ministry of Health,* *Jubilee House* including our regulatory body, *Allied Health Professions Council* if the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Finance do not grant us clearance for employment.

…..SIGNED…..

PRESIDENT

ADDO BANASE MAWULI EMMANUEL.

VICE PRESIDENT

NATHANIEL KYEI TANOR.

P. R. O

VICTOR NARH BATSA.

GENERAL SECRETARY.

JAMES K. ESSEL

(0556987982)

ORGANIZER

AGYEI AHENKORAH.