By Evans Worlanyo Ameamu
Keta (V/R), Jan. 15, GNA – The Union of Trainee Nurses and Midwives, Ghana (UTNMG), has called for urgent government action to resolve persistent delays in allowances affecting trainee nurses, midwives, and rotation nurses nationwide.
The Union said the delays and inconsistencies in payments had imposed severe financial hardship on members across the country.
Mr Immortal Agbeti, President of UTNMG, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency, commended the Government and the Ministry of Health (MoH) for migrating trainee allowances from the E-Zwich system to a full banking platform.
He described the reform as a forward-looking initiative that would enhance transparency, accountability, efficiency, and financial inclusion.
However, Mr Agbeti explained that delays persisted due to ongoing bank account creation and validation processes, as well as technical challenges within some banks, resulting in late payments and inaccessible funds despite alerts.
He said UTNMG welcomed the Ministry’s data clean-up exercise aimed at resolving the challenges and accelerating payments.
Mr Agbeti expressed concern over proposals to disburse allowances strictly based on approval letters, warning that such an approach could exclude legitimate trainees currently serving in the national health system.
He appealed for a more compassionate and equitable framework to ensure no eligible trainee was left behind.
The UTNMG President raised serious concern about the continued neglect of rotation nurses, noting that some 2024 batch rotation nurses were owed up to 15 months of unpaid allowances.
He urged the government to prioritise the welfare of rotation nurses, warning that prolonged deprivation undermined morale, productivity, and the quality of healthcare delivery.
The Union appealed for the immediate commencement of regular monthly allowance payments for rotation nurses and the expedited clearance of all rotation nurses who completed their service in December 2025.
Mr Agbeti said UTNMG had requested trainees who had completed bank registration to submit their allowance details to [email protected] to support coordinated follow-up with the Ministry of Health and relevant banks.
He reaffirmed UTNMG’s commitment to constructive engagement and principled advocacy, stressing that the welfare of trainee nurses and midwives was a national obligation critical to sustaining Ghana’s healthcare system.
GNA
Edited by: Maxwell Awumah/Audrey Dekalu