Mental nurses abandon post

Aggrieved nurses at the Accra Psychiatric Hospital have laid down their tools demanding the payment of their salary arrears.

The nurses, numbering about 180, said until government pays all the four to 11 months salary arrears, they would not go back to work.

“This time until our salaries reflect in our bank accounts we will not go back,” Christian Adisenu, one of the spokespersons for the group, said.

He said government had failed to honour its part of the agreement after the group decided to stop work two months ago.

Mr Adisenu said government, in reaction to the threat to embark on an indefinite strike by the nurses some two months ago, held a meeting with the nurses, hospital officials and delegation from the Ministry of Health, adding that the roadmap for the settlement of the salary arrears was adopted in line with a pledge by the Minister for Employment and Labour.

“On the 5th day of August, 2015, Mr Iddrisu indicated that the payment of the salary arrears was likely to commence from August 2015 and that all outstanding payment would be completed by end of September 2015, but was quick to add that his suggestion and plan was subject to our agreement to call-off the strike action.

“We announced our commitment to the roadmap and further declared our expectation that the government will do same,” a release signed by the leaders of the group namely Emmanuel Febiri, Philip Frempong Okyere, Christian Adisenu, Frederick Asare-Donkoh and Eugene Amponsah Dankwa stated.

The release was also copied to the Chairman of the Mental Health Authority, the Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Mental Health Authority, the President, Ghana Registered Nurses Association, the Chairman, Psychiatric Nurses Group, the Administrator, Accra Psychiatric Hospital.

Mr Adisenu, however, said that at the end of September 2015, it became evident the government took deceptive steps to get us back to work.

Deputy Director of Nursing Services at the hospital, Emmanuel Pappoe, said the situation was unhealthy for the hospital.

He noted that the strike action was negatively affecting the hospital, which already has a limited nurse to patient ratio.

“Mental patients cannot be left on their own, just this morning I had to go and separate two patients and I was hit in the hand,” he said.

Mr Pappoe said there is nothing like a risk allowance for their work.

“When you are sick or get hurt you have to use you own money to pay for your hospital bills,” he said.

He said, “The patients are the ones going to suffer because those on night duty and weekend have all gone on strike.”

Mr Pappoe, therefore, called on government to fulfil its promise to the nurses so they could go back to work.

This is another case of the NDC administration reneging on an agreement reached with workers, he indicated.