The government has indicated that it is in the process of paying all allowances in arrears owed trainee nurses.
This comes after some trainee nurses threatened to boycott class over the delay in the payment of their allowances with some spanning over a period of six (6) months.
[contextly_sidebar id=”KcPwevlpRojVBbfu2nyt67tFJ61LBkEF”]A deputy Information Minister, Pius Hadzide in an interview on Eyewitness News said the government has from today [Friday], commenced payment of 3 months’ arrears to trainees who have completed their studies, while those still in school will be paid one month’s allowance.
“As of the evening of Thursday, an amount of GH¢33.5 million has been paid, and from Friday, students can begin to access these monies. We are paying the arrears of all student nurses who have just completed their courses. This release will cover all these arrears for the nurses who have completed school. Theirs will be paid in full for the 3 months, and for our nurses who are in school, one month’s payment,” he said.
The Deputy Information Minister explained that the delay in the payment of the arrears had come about due to a change in the distribution formula for the arrears.
He noted that previously the allowances were paid quarterly, but the government has decided to pay it monthly going forward.
“It is true that there have been some delays largely because of how the payments were arranged. These were paid in arrears quarterly. The decision has been made that going forward, it will no longer be treated as a statutory payment but it will be treated as payments on salaries and emoluments that come monthly, so going forward, the delays will be avoided,” he assured.
Pius Hadzide further assured trainee nurses that the government will pay the outstanding 2 months’ arrears as soon the Finance Ministry makes funds available.
“We are to pay a total of GH¢50 million, but we have received is GH¢ 33 million as at now, so immediately the money comes, the other two months for those who are still in school will be paid,” he noted.
We’ve not been paid allowance
The President of the Coalition of Allied Health Professionals, Bright Bell in a Citi News interview on Thursday said some trainee nurses have not been paid their allowances for the past six months.
The Akufo-Addo government in a run-up to the 2016 Presidential elections promised to restore the teacher and nurses trainee allowances scrapped by the previous government; a promise that was fulfilled in September 2017.
A few months after the initial payment, subsequent allowances have not been forthcoming.
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By: Jonas Nyabor/citinewsroom.com/Ghana
