The leadership of the Rotational Nurses and Midwives Association (RNMA) has empathised with the July 2022 batch over the non-payment of their allowances by government.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, 25 July 2023, co-signed by its National President Jasper Dzorkah and General Secretary John Domechille, the association reminded government that the current batch of rational nurses who began their rotation in January 2023 and July 2023 are “dying” of hunger.

According to the association, the 2023 batch of rotational nurses and midwives have also done seven months without receiving a “penny” from government.

“We are left to battle for our survival even as we are faithfully rendering our services to this country,” the association bemoaned.

In the association’s opinion, the health sector is “left out of the priorities” of the country.

It stressed that its members are not motivated enough and quizzed whether if an opportunity presents itself for nurses and midwives to leave Ghana, they would not.

The association noted the take home allowance of its members is “nothing to write home about,” stressing “we demand an immediate increase of our allowances”.

It called on the Ministry of Health and the Minister of Finance to begin disbursement of unpaid allowances to the 2022 batch of rotational nurses and the current batch as well.

“Those of us who did our rotation in different regions cannot return back home because we don’t have the means to transport ourselves back, we are suffering!” the statement added.

The 2022 batch of rotational nurses and midwives are yet to be paid their allowances despite assurances that they would soon receive their allowances after several months of not being paid.

This followed the granting of approval by the Ministry of Finance to the Controller and Accountant General to pay allowances to some 16,559 rotational nurses and midwives and allied health interns across the country.

“By this letter, the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department is requested to effect the payment of their allowances and make appropriate deductions of Social Security and Income Tax to SSNIT and the Domestic Tax Division of the Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) respectfully when the period is over,” the Ministry of Finance noted in a letter to the Account General’s Department.

In May 2023, the RNMA urged its members to remain calm as leadership took the necessary steps to get their allowances paid.

This came on the back of an unannounced visit to the Ministry of Health (MoH) by the association on Thursday, 18 May 2023.

The Rotational Nurses had not receive any allowances since they were deployed by the National Service Secretariat (NSS) in June 2022.