Management of the National Service Scheme (NSS) on Wednesday deployed 68,210 personnel to undertake their national service for the 2012 to 2013 service year.
Mr. Vincent Senam Kuagbenu, Executive Director of NSS, said the scheme had received a total request of 84,672 from 7,540 organizations, and 19,501 from educational institutions; and that 46,896 personnel were posted to the education sector, 8,249 in Health, 8,004 in local government and 5,061 in the private sector.
He disclosed this at a press conference in Accra, adding that the service year begins on Monday September 10 and ends on August 31 2013.
Mr Kuagbenu said in line with the Memoranda of Understanding between the service and the Ministry of Health, health professionals made up of 51 Doctors of Optometry, 251 Pharmacists, 403 Nurses and Midwives, 630 laboratory Technicians and 15 Herbal Medical Officers are being deployed to 221 health facilities countrywide.
He said 2,103 Nurses and Midwives who commenced their National Service in June 2012 are currently serving in 166 health facilities and are expected to complete their mandatory service in May 2013.
Mr. Kuagbenu said the scheme had been sensitive towards vulnerable groups like married and lactating mothers, persons with health conditions and those on study leave with a total number of 10,345 in that category.
He said the married women were posted to areas that will enable them combine matrimonial duties with service, while those with health conditions were deployed to places where they can have access to health care and those on study leave were posted back to their mother organizations.
Mr. Kuagbenu requested all accredited tertiary institutions to submit final year class list for processing and all the 57 accredited public and private institutions responded appropriately.
He explained that between April and June 2012, the scheme embarked on a nationwide pre-service orientation and an estimated number of 82,000 students benefited from the training to prepare them adequately for the national service obligation.
Mr. Kuagbenu said a total of 85,156 pin codes were issued to enable prospective national service personnel enroll online to undertake the mandatory service.
He urged all service personnel to demonstrate high level of neutrality and maturity devoid of violence as the country prepare for the impending December polls.
Mr. Charles Aheto Tsegah, Deputy Director-General of Ghana Education Service, commended the scheme for recognizing the needs of groups with peculiar conditions for smooth understanding.
Mr. Tsegah appealed to government to put in place a strategic plan that would address the accommodation problems faced by national service personnel to ensure that its better agenda policies materialized.
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