The Ministry of Health has said it would no longer bond nurses who receive their training in public health training institutions.
Starting from the 2017/2018 academic year, new entrant trainee nurses will not be mandated to serve a bond after completing their training in government-funded health training institutions.
This would mean that nurses who graduate from government institutions would have to seek for jobs by themselves, unlike the conventional practice where they were automatically absorbed into the public healthcare system.
Government is on a course to reduce the swelling public sector wage bill in accordance with conditions of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme.
This is in spite of government’s claim that the IMF agreement was not going to lead to job cuts.
In a statement signed by the Head of Public Relations of the Health Ministry, Tony Goodman, the ministry explained that the deliberate policy to increase the enrolment of nurses meant the bonding of nurses for posting was no longer necessary.
The ministry said there is some indication that nurses are willing to be employed by the Ministry of Health and posted to the many newly constructed health facilities nationwide, including the Community Health and Planning Services (CHPS) compounds.
“Their presence at these basic health facilities will ensure reliable data collection for the Ministry of Health and its development partners,” the statement noted.
The ministry also revealed they have posted 4,799 health personnel who graduated in 2015 to various health facilities, in line with their Strategic Development Goals.
“In furtherance of the Strategic Development Goals and improving primary healthcare, the Ministry of Health has recruited and posted 4,799 nurses, psychiatry nurses, enrolled nurses, community nurses and midwives who graduated in 2014 and 2015 to various health facilities in Ghana.”
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