Members of the Concerned Trainee Nurses and Midwives Association of Northern Zone have served notice of suing government over their almost three years accumulated unpaid allowances.
They have given government two weeks ultimatum to defray the debt or else they will seek legal redress.
They have also vowed to hit the principal streets of Tamale if government fails to address their concerns.
“We hope our allowances will be paid by the middle of October: failure to pay will be catastrophic to health service delivery in this country and our next line of action will be a demonstration on the principal streets of Tamale which will be replicated in all the regional capitals.”
General Secretary of the Concerned Trainee Nurses and Midwives Association of Northern Zone, Anankanbil Joseph on Tuesday October 07, 2014 issued the threat at a news conference in Tamale.
He said no amount of persuasion will coerce the Association’s leadership to rescind its decision of hitting the streets and by extension seek legal redress over the matter.
“We urge government to deploy high sense of seriousness to our genuine concern: we trainee Nurses and Midwives of this nation are really exposed to many dangers in the course of delivering our services to the nation and we do not deserve to be treated this way.”
According to Anankanbil Joseph, some members of the association in the Northern Region are being chased by banks and micro finance institutions to remit loans they collected to pay their school fees and to survive.
“Some of us have taken loans to pay our rent, feed and transport ourselves to the various schools regardless of the distance and are being chased to remit our loans but where is the money?”
He lambasted government for creating the erroneous impression that GHC140, 000,000,00 was used for paying all Trainee Nurses and Midwives in the country.
This Anankanbil Joseph bemoaned created mistrust between the students and their parents who are reluctant to pay their school fees.
“Most parents are of the view that their wards have been paid their allowances and are reluctant to support them: this is even aggravated by the publication that government of Ghana has paid trainee Nurses and Midwives about GHC140, 000,000,00, hence creating mistrust between parents and their wards.”
He said members of the association’s have been overstretched and will no longer tolerate any further delays in paying their accumulated allowances beyond the two weeks ultimatum given government.
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By: Abdul Karim Naatogmah/citifmonline.com/Ghana