Former President and National Democratic Congress (NDC) Flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, has provided insight into his decision to cancel nursing training allowances, citing the intention to redirect funds towards building essential health infrastructure.
Mahama faced criticism from the then-opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) for discontinuing allowances for teachers and nursing trainees while pledging to reinstate them if elected.
Addressing students at Sefwi Wiaso Nurses Training College, Mahama explained the rationale behind replacing allowances with loans. He highlighted the government’s realization that it often took several years for nursing graduates to be assigned to their respective stations.
The former president emphasized the strategy of investing in infrastructure to create more job opportunities for nurses. Mahama stated, “What we wanted to do was build more CHPS compounds, more hospitals, and more health facilities, more health centres so that when you come out you can get work to do immediately. That was our intention.”
Despite efforts to communicate this strategy, Mahama acknowledged that it faced challenges, with some people misinterpreting the move.
He remarked, “When we tried to explain the reason why we were replacing your allowances with student loans, people did not understand us.”
The clarification sheds light on Mahama’s strategic vision for investing in healthcare infrastructure and job creation, providing context to a controversial decision that had drawn criticism from political opponents.
Expressing concern for the current state of allowances, Mahama addressed the students’ predicament. “Today I’m told that those in their 2nd year have never seen their allowances.”
“My younger sisters and younger brothers, I’m standing on your behalf here to remind Nana Akufo-Addo and Dr Mahamudu Bawumia that the students of Sefwi Wiaso Nursing Training College say that they are waiting for their allowances because you promised you could pay.”
