Only 22 members of the Coalition of Degree Allied Health Professionals (CODAHP) out of over 600 members nationwide turned up to participate in a planned picketing exercise at the office of the Allied Health Professional Council at Korle Bu on Wednesday morning.
10 Police officers from the Korle Bu District command who had been detailed to guard the group and media personnel who were at the venue to cover the event had to wait over two hours as leaders kept assuring that their members were on their way to the join them.
After waiting till 11:00 am, administrator of the Council who was ready to receive the petition from the group at 9:00 am came out to inform them of another meeting he had to attend and so the group did not have any other choice but to present their petition.
Spokesperson for the Coalition, Richard Osei Yeboah speaking to Ghanaweb said their members received information that the picketing had been postponed and that was why most of the didn't turn up.
He said, “I got a call from a reporter asking if we had called off the picketing because an information was sent that we’ve called off the picketing meanwhile we did not issue anything like that before I realised that message was out… and our members were already agitating and kind of angry with the late decision. That could have accounted for this decreased number”.
He, however, stated the group will on Thursday picket at the Ministry of Health and on Friday they will petition the president at the Flagstaff House, all in the hope of getting jobs to do after staying at home between one to five years after completion of school.
The Coalition is made up of Allied Health graduates from the University of Cape Coast, University of Development Studies, Wa, University of Ghana, Legon and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.
Richard who says they expected at least 80 people to be part of today's protest called on members who can make it, to join them on Thursday and Friday.
