Nation Builders Corps modern day slavery – Health students cry

The National Health Students’ Association of Ghana (NAHSAG) has described as “modern-day slavery” the initiative by government to contract the services of some unemployed graduate nurses under the Nation Builders Corps programme, in a module called Heal Ghana.

The Nation Builders Corp is a government initiative designed to engage the services of unemployed young men and women in some key organisations in the public sector.

Launched by the President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo on Tuesday, May 1, the programme is expected to provide 100,000 job opportunities to unemployed graduates in the areas of health, education, information and technology, revenue mobilization and other key areas.

The Heal Ghana module of the initiative seeks to engage the services of graduate nurses on a three-year contract with a monthly stipend of GH¢700.

The National Health Students’ Association of Ghana, however, say, “The unemployed health personnel need financial clearance and posting, and not a three-year employment contract that will further compound the challenges at the sector”.

The Association has thus announced it will on Monday, May 7 embark on “a massive demonstration exercise to be staged in the capital city of the country, Accra”.

The association has called on the Ghana Nursing and Midwives Trainees Association (GNMTA), Physician Assistant Students Association of Ghana (PASSAG), Private Universities Nurses Association of Ghana (PUNAG), University Nursing Students Association of Ghana (UNSAG), Federation of Ghana Medical Laboratory Sciences Students Association of Ghana (FG-MELSA), Collation of Private Unemployed Nurses (COPUN), Coalition of Degree Allied Health Professionals, Coalition of Unposted Allied Health Professionals and all concerned citizens to join the demonstration.

The demonstration as stated in their notice will start from Obra Spot (Kwame Nkrumah Circle) at 7:00am and end at the Hearts of Oak Park, where a petition will be presented to the Vice president, Dr. Alhaji Mahamudu Bawumia.