Malik Basintale, the Deputy National Communication Officer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), has criticized the current New Patriotic Party (NPP) government, asserting that many nursing trainees have become online marketers instead of fulfilling their roles as nurses in healthcare facilities.
In a campaign speech ahead of the upcoming elections, Basintale assured nursing trainees that their future under an NDC government would be brighter. He promised that the NDC would ensure all nursing trainees are posted to hospitals as part of their professional responsibilities.
“Today, many nursing trainees have turned to online marketing. They are selling wigs, bags, slippers, and even Sobolo. This is not your destiny. Your true calling is to work in hospitals. When the NDC comes to power, we will post all nursing trainees to hospitals,” he declared.
This statement follows recent protests from the Union of Trainee Nurses and Midwives, Ghana (UTNMG), who have threatened to vote against the NPP in the upcoming elections due to their dissatisfaction with the government’s neglect of their welfare.
According to the union, the Akufo-Addo-led administration has failed to pay them their allowances for the past 19 months, placing them under severe financial strain.
In a press release, Agbeti Robert Immortal, the President of the UTNMG, expressed the union’s frustration: “The government has consistently failed to honour its promises to pay the allowances. This will no longer be tolerated.
Trainees will hold politicians accountable, and the outcome of this year’s election will reflect the government’s neglect of their welfare.”
He further described the failure to pay the arrears as “economic injustice” and a “betrayal of trust,” calling for immediate action to settle the outstanding allowances.
