Former President John Dramani Mahama has urged trainee nurses to focus on securing stable employment rather than relying on allowances.
He emphasised the importance of creating sustainable job opportunities for healthcare professionals in Ghana.
Addressing some trainee nurses on Saturday, Mahama acknowledged their financial challenges but stressed that long-term employment was more beneficial than temporary allowances.
He assured them that his administration would prioritise job creation within the healthcare sector to ensure that nurses and other healthcare workers have stable and rewarding careers.
“We know the problems with trainee nurses and that is why when we were in government, we said we were going to substitute your allowance with the students’ loan because we wanted to create more employment for you. What is important for you is not the allowance it is to get a job when you finish school,” he stated.
Adding that “But somebody came and said he will pay the allowances. Unfortunately, it was 419…Come and pay the nurses you owe them almost 30 months of arrears. Some of them have left school without receiving their allowances and some of them are going to leave school again without receiving their allowances.
“…I make you a commitment when I come to the hospitals, we were building that have been abandoned by this government we will continue them. When I come to the agenda 111 hospitals, they are building I will continue and finish them so that we can create more space to be able to absorb all of you when you finish school. This election is between Ghana and NPP.”