Deputy Minister for Health, Hon. Akwasi Aquah, has slammed former President John Dramani Mahama for his handling of the recruitment of nursing students during his tenure, which has created a huge gap bedevilling the state.
Aquah argued that the achievements of the current Akufo-Addo/Bawumia administration in this area are significant in comparison.
His comments came in response to Mahama’s recent claims that, if elected, he would ensure prompt recruitment of nurses upon their graduation from college.
The Deputy Minister pointed out that the National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration that John Mahama superintended over suspended the recruitment of nursing students from 2013 to 2016, leaving thousands of qualified nurses and midwives without jobs.
“In 2013, 2014, 2015, and 2016, these cohorts of nursing trainees were not offered recruitment; they had no clearance,” he stated.
He averred that when the current New Patriotic Party (NPP) administration took office in 2017, it successfully employed 8,137 nurses and midwives, including candidates from private health training institutions for the first time, who were previously compelled to seek employment by themselves with private institutions.
The Deputy Minister also disclosed that from 2019 to 2023, an additional 88,806 nurses were recruited, which included nurses who completed between 2017 and 2019.
15,200 more nursing graduates, he said, are expected to be recruited in 2024, specifically targeting the 2020 year group.
He accused Mahama of creating the recruitment gap in the nursing sector that the NPP government is now working to fill.
“We are dedicated to employing nurses and ensuring they are absorbed into the system. If you look at the number of nurses we have employed since we came to power, it shows we have accomplished so much, and Mahama’s experience and narrative cannot compare to what we have done,” he declared.
Akwasi Aquah contended that if former President Mahama truly knew how to employ nurses, he would have taken action during his presidency, emphasizing the previous administration’s failure to address the healthcare workforce crisis.
He stressed that the NPP’s decision to abrogate the bonding agreement for public health nursing trainees allows for greater flexibility in recruitment.
“We also reintroduced the nursing trainee allowance from September 2017 to encourage nurses,” Aquah explained.
The Minister argued that if the former President had not left the recruitment gap, the Akufo-Addo government could have utilized the resources it had mobilized more effectively, reinforcing the current administration’s commitment to employing all graduate nurses.