The General Secretary of the 2021 Cohort of the Unemployed Nurses Association of Ghana, Gideon Nsiah, has stated that members are sick and tired of staying at home without government postings.
While the government recently posted approximately 6,500 nurses, Mr Nsiah lamented that the exercise was poorly handled.
He argued that deploying only 6,500 out of a 2021 cohort of over 18,000 was inadequate and has created division among their ranks.
He noted that while the association understands the government cannot clear all cohorts from 2021 to 2024 at once, any attempt to clear the 2021 batch should have included the entire cohort rather than a small fraction.
Speaking in an interview on Frontline on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, he described the current approach as unfortunate, explaining that this grievance drove them to petition the Minority Caucus in Parliament.
“We have about four batches at home and if you want to post us, you can do it batch by batch and not pick a batch and fail to post all of them and only just a few.”
The association aims to engage both the Chair and the Ranking Member of the Health Committee to present their petition. They are seeking an immediate intervention to compel the government to employ the remaining 11,000 trained nurses who are still at home.
Mr Nsiah led members of the association to Parliament on Thursday to engage the Minority Caucus and push their case.
He explained that the group “ambushed” the Minority to seek assistance after months of waiting for postings from the Ministry of Health.
“The rest of us are still home. We have our licenses, we are ready to work, but there are no financial clearances for us.”
He highlighted the severe hardship members face, noting that some have been unemployed for nearly three years since completing their national service.
Many are struggling to survive, even as health facilities across the country report critical staff shortages.
Mr Nsiah argued that the government had promised automatic postings for nurses after training, a commitment that remains unfulfilled for their batch.
With the 2022, 2023, and 2024 cohorts also awaiting employment—and the 2025 batch expected to finish their national service soon—he warned that the backlog of unemployed health workers continues to grow rapidly.
“We came to Parliament because we believe our leaders must hear us. We are begging the government, the Ministry of Health, and the Finance Ministry to capture us in the mid-year budget review.”
The group called on President John Mahama’s administration to prioritize health sector recruitment and release the necessary financial clearances for the remainder of the 2021 batch.
Mr Nsiah stressed that posting these trained professionals would simultaneously reduce unemployment and ease the operational pressure on hospitals and clinics nationwide.
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana
