The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) and the Health Services Workers Union are calling on the National Pension Regulatory Authority (NPRA) to release their 8-month pension arrears.
According to the two groups, there have been deductions of their two-tier pensions from their salaries, but they have not been paid into the necessary accounts.
The president of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association, Perpetual Ofori Ampofo, spoke on the issue and called on the authorities to explain their actions.
“Month after month, we see these monies deducted and clearly shown on our payslips. But they don’t reflect in our pension scheme. We check our statements, and there’s nothing there. At the end of the day, where is the money?” Perpetual Ofori Ampofo quizzed.
Ms Ofori-Ampofo has been lamenting the poor treatment of health workers in the country consistently.
She noted that the unfair treatment of health workers resulted in continuously migrating trained nurses overseas for greener pastures.
She explained that most of the nurses who have terminated their contracts and those planning to resign at their various health facilities in Ghana are the most experienced ones who could have been of great help in training newly recruited nurses.
Ms Perpetual suggested a stakeholder engagement on solutions to resolve the issues pushing out the most experienced nurses.
Ms Ofori-Ampofo indicated that the nurses want an environment that helps them in their career progression, further studies, and adequate remuneration.
She, therefore, appealed to the government to intervene to address the exodus of nurses to other countries.