Dr Simon Agongo Azure, National President of the Health Tutors Association of Ghana (HeTAG), has urged the government to address deteriorating conditions of service, delayed allowances, and stalled promotions.
Speaking at the Association’s Annual General Meeting (AGM) in Ejisu, Ashanti Region, Dr Azure highlighted the systemic challenges facing tutors across 72 public health training institutions.
A primary grievance is the absence of an approved Scheme of Service. This document is essential for defining the roles, duties, and professional expectations of health tutors.
While development began under the previous administration, the current government has yet to grant official approval.
Furthermore, the institutions currently lack a Legislative Instrument (LI)to formally establish them as tertiary bodies.
Dr Azure explained that without this legal backing, the institutions operate in a state of administrative limbo.
“The statute gives us the power, or in other words, it establishes the institutions why the institutions exist. The Ministry made us to understand that as it stands now, we don’t have an LI that establishes the schools,” he said.
The Ministry of Health is reportedly drafting administrative guidelines for parliamentary approval. Dr Azure emphasised that this law is the lynchpin for all other reforms: “So when that law is into effect, it means that every other issue that we are discussing will come from that law and it will serve us good… If the LI were to be in force, any demand you are making, you have to make reference to the LI. Because the LI requires you to do this and therefore your conditions will be tied to that LI.”
Dr Azure also criticised the significant pay gap between health tutors and their counterparts in universities and Colleges of Education. He argued that despite holding equivalent qualifications—including PhDs—health tutors receive substantially lower salaries and benefits.
“When you compare College of Education, then the university, they almost have a similar salary structure, and this is designed just because of their qualification. When you compare that with the health training institutions, we also have the similar qualifications. We have people who hold PhD, and yet the conditions of service are not comparable to the universities. Why should that be so?”
The Association maintains that aligning conditions of service with academic qualifications is vital for the future of health training in Ghana.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
