Members of the Coalition of Unemployed Private Nurses (COUPN) have rejected government’s flagship programme, Nations Builders Corps (NABCO), meant to provide temporay employment for unemployed graduates and professionals in the country.
The jobless nurses say they will not be part of the module, which includes the temporary employment of health professionals, because it is an attempt by government to deny them permanent employment.
Members of the Coalition fear government will be adamant to push for their financial clearance so they can become permanent employees of the Ministry of Health if they agree to be enrolled into the Heal Ghana module under (NABCO).
They also fear they will be denied full benefits with regard to all conditions of service. “Salaries will not be the same as our colleagues being posted permanently. Moreover, mode of payment would not be through Controller and Accountant General’s Department and will consequently restrict all members to get appraisals,” the Coalition said in a statement.
Below is the full statement:
COALITION OF UNEMPLOYED PRIVATE NURSES (COUPN) REITERATE NATIONS BUILDERS CORPS (NABCO); MODULE, HEAL GHANA WHICH INCLUDES MOST HEALTH PROFESSIONALS
The leadership of COALITION OF UNEMPLOYED PRIVATE NURSES (COUPN) and the entire membership across Ghana wishes to draw the attention of the general public and the good people of Ghana to the UNFAIR treatment by the current government to PROFESSIONAL HEALTH WORKERS.
Unemployment at the health sector of this country has been a bone of contention involving innocent youth who have been well groomed qualified health professionals.
Therefore given rise in formation of magnitude groups to fight the plight of securing for employment. Coalition of Unemployed Private Nurses (COUPN), has been the mouth piece for our members who have been ages left out from employment system by the government since 2011 till date. The Ministry of Health (MOH) has invariably claim and ascertain that our names have been sent to the finance ministry for clearance to be made, that is availing ourselves to our follow up consensus subjected to our verification process.
Nevertheless, NATION BUILDERS CORPS (NABCO) rather have been allocated to us claiming its awaits the clearance. We therefore bring to the attention of all members of (COUPN) and the entire concern people of Ghana that, WE ARE PROFESSIONALS AND NOT ALLOWANCE (NABCO) NURSES, SO THEREFORE WE REJECT the MODULE; HEAL GHANA UNDER THE NABCO FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS.
We need to be respected and not to undermine our professional status and integrity. We are solely entitled to be employed in accordance with the Act, we swore an oat making us much professionals to be entrusted with innocent lives. Government can however launch NATION BUILDERS CORPS(NABCO) But the section 7 where we health professionals find ourselves under (HEALTH GHANA) we still stand very firm by our right as CITIZENS NOT SPECTATORS to REJECT NATION BUILDERS CORPS (NABCO); HEAL GHANA. We therefore call on officials of MOH to retract the statement that ‘they are given us a favour’.
We BOLDLY WANT TO MAKE IT KNOWN TO THE PUBLIC THAT WE HAVE NOT ENDORSED THE ‘HEAL GHANA’. We are professionals and we deserve better than this (NABCO).
We the National Executive council (NEC) of the Coalition have finally decided and arrived at the following disadvantage to us as far as the ‘HEAL GHANA’ policy is concern.
1. Government will be adamant but not tenacious to push for our financial clearance be released after agreement to be enrolled on the HEAL GHANA module.
2. Denial of employees to have full benefit with regards to all conditions of service in as much that, salaries will not be the same as our colleagues been posted permanently. Moreover mode of payment would not be through Controller and Accountant General Department consequently restricts all members to get appraisals.
3. Job description will be a major challenge when we get ourselves enrolled under NABCO. Are we to be called STAFFS or NABCO NURSES as previous government did?
4. We are not by any interest to create disunity among ourselves and that of our colleagues posted permanently, since they might however look down upon us which will really jeopardize our relationship and profession.
We are therefore sending a strong signal through this medium alerting the Government that we are one entity and by no instance will we create room for conflicts.
We won’t sit idle as professionals and be used to score cheap political interest. We respect our profession and we still embark on REJECTING THE HEAL GHANA POLICY FOR HEALTH PROFESSIONALS.
WE ENTREAT ALL MEMBERS TO CALM THEIR NERVES DOWN AND SAVE MUCH STRENGTH TO FOLLOW OUR ROADMAP.
Therefore, members should refrain from signing up for the NABCO module dubbed; HEAL GHANA and further advise the government that the BEST WAY to heal Ghana is to give life savers *PERMANENT EMPLOYMENT other than that they are entrusting innocent lives into irate nurses and health Professionals as a whole.
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