President of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), Mrs Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo, has urged jobless nurses and midwives to explore opportunities outside Ghana due to a freeze on public sector employment.
She explained that, after school, one cannot be idle at home, therefore, if by chance they are privileged to travel, work and earn some income for themselves, why not, they should make hay, while the sun shines.
“The only thing we can do is advice our members, now there is opportunity abroad, and you need to go and top up your skills and work there so that you can earn money for yourself, then go there; or if you have support in this country from your family that you can upgrade yourself, go back to school and upgrade yourself, take advantage of this,” Mrs. Ofori-Ampofo recommended.
The President who also has over 15 years’ experience said, she understands that those who have already moved is based on experience and that might be a hindrance for them, however, that should not prevent them from upgrading themselves and taking up chances of moving abroad to work and earn money; because if they stay at home, the skills they have acquired would be forgotten.
Her comments come after Finance Minister, Ken Ofori-Atta, announced a freeze on public sector employment in the 2023 budget presented to parliament on Thursday, November, 25, 2022.
The President of GRNMA, was speaking to Alfred Ocansey on 3FM’s Sunrise Morning Show, on Monday, 28th November, 2022.
Mrs. Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo added that employment in the private sector is sometimes difficult.
‘‘They try to get employment in the private sectors, but sometimes it is difficult for them because employers think that, when they employ such nurses and the government of Ghana gives them permanent employment, they will leave, so they block them off. It is only in some few cases that the private health facilities employ them, but the fact is that the majority of them are home doing nothing”. She lamented
Another issue she pointed out was that, a series of engagements with stakeholders to employ the unemployed nurses have proved futile as the stakeholders (ministry of health, the ministry of finance) constantly say they are working on the issuance of financial clearance, yet, there has been no resolution to that.
Mrs. Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo prayed that explanations would be given on what the government means on freeze of public sector employment and that, they hope they are excluded from it because; there are lots of nurses to be employed who are also capable of providing good services to the people of Ghana.
The 2022 American Visa Lottery data also indicated that the majority of the applicants were health professionals who aimed to seek greener pastures abroad to be able to cater for their families.
