In a commendable disclosure, the alliance of Concerned Nurses and Midwives’ trainees revealed that the government owes nursing trainees an astounding 92 months’ worth of arrears spread across several batches.
Since the allowance was reinstated in 2017, no single group of students, according to the trainees, has gotten full payment.
The nurse and midwife trainees stated in a statement issued on Wednesday, May 15, 2024, that around thirty percent of their members have not received any allowance since its restoration, with different year groups owing varied amounts of trainees.
The trainees’ declaration follows the Vice President’s claim that the New Patriotic Party administration had paid on time and restored allowances, demonstrating its commitment to transparency.
The coalition called the situation “untenable and unacceptable” and urged the government to alleviate their financial hardships by paying all outstanding debts, even those of individuals who have finished their education.
The complete statement of the arrears statistics can be seen below.
PAYMENT OF THE TRAINEE ALLOWANCE FOR NURSES AND MIDWIVES
The New Patriotic Party’s vice president and flagbearer, H.E. Dr. Mahamudu Bawumia, has made a statement addressing the restoration and consistent payment of trainee allowances. The coalition of Concerned Nurses and midwives’ trainee has taken note of this.
The Vice President has emphasized how dedicated the administration is to keeping trainee allowances intact, but the actual situation on the ground is quite different. By May 2024:
2017 Batch: Trainees who finished in 2020 are owed one month’s arrears.
2018 Batch: Trainees who finished in 2021 owing three months’ arrears.
2019 Batch: Trainees who finished in 2022 owe four months in arrears.
2020 Batch: Trainees who finished in 2023 owing a startling fifteen months in arrears.
2021 Batch: As of May 2024, trainees in their third year owing 27 months in arrears, compared to 17 months for those enrolled in two-year courses.
These learners will finish their program with this enormous amount of arrears in less than a month.
2022 Batch: As of May 2024, there will be around 16 months’ worth of arrears. 2023 Batch: As of May 2024, trainees who will graduate in 2026 owing nine months’ worth of arrears.
Thirty percent of trainees report never having received any kind of allowance. Additionally, since the restoration of allowance proved by many trainees who completed without allowance and have never been given their arrears thereafter, trainees do not stand a chance of obtaining their arrears owed by the government after completion.
This is an unworkable and unacceptable condition. The non-payment of allowances is causing severe financial difficulty for trainees from different batches. It is crucial that the government takes immediate action to resolve this matter and keep its word by paying all of the trainees’ outstanding debts, as mentioned above, rather than just the customary one-month installment out of the several arrears that the government owes these diligent students.
We demand that the government make clearing trainee arrears a top priority and take steps to prevent future occurrences of this kind of delay. Never should the health and education of our midwives and nurses be compromised.
