Over 600 unposted nurses threaten ‘Kumi preko’ picketing at health ministry

Some six hundred unemployed nurses have given government two weeks to honour a promise to offer them jobs or be ready for what they call a ‘Kumi preko picketing.

The nurses comprise bonded nurse assistants, clinical and community health nurses who completed their training in 2015 but had to resit some papers which they passed and were issued certificates and PINs in June 2016.

They were part of nurses who picketed at the health ministry in April, 2017 alongside allied health nurses who have secured postings.

Ivan Heathcote – Fumador, the President for the group Eric Boateng pointed out that the ministry of health gave them some assurances to secure clearance for them to be posted by July 4, 2017.

He said they turned up at the office of the human resource director of the health ministry to a hostile reception with the director telling them he had no assurances for them.

He explained, “We went to the HR director because he is in charge of all postings and he told us we are not part of the clearance and he cannot assure us of the exact day we will be cleared.”

“One thing he said that really hurt us was that we had been given the chance to write exams and why did we choose to fail. We are asking ourselves are we the only people who have failed before, and how many times did our president Nana Akufo-Addo, contest before he became president?, he fumed.

Mr Eric Boateng indicated that all affected nurses will once again converge in a sustained protest at the premises of the health ministry on August 1, 2017 till government responds to their demands.