According to the association, the strike has become necessary due to the lack of commitment by government in paying stipends to its members for the last ten months.

Speaking to Citi News, the Vice President of the Association, Maasubea Rahim, said the strike will persist until government meets their demands.

“The strike is by the health interns, whose allowances are to be paid through the facilitation of the Ministry of Health. The health interns have not received their allowances since they started the internship in September 2021. The best way to get the allowance is to take some of these actions to see the way forward.”

Find the official communiqué from the group below:

“I bring you greetings from the National Secretariat of the National Health Students Association of Ghana (NAHSAG). NAHSAG is the umbrella body for all health students and fresh graduates (Health Interns) from all health institutions across the country and the Diaspora at large.

The National Executive Officers by this notice, inform you of a possible strike action by all September and December 2021 batch of health (Allied Health, nurses, Midwives etc.) interns whose allowance is to be paid through the Ministry of Health, but it has not been paid since the internship.

The strike is a collective decision of majority of the health interns in a virtual meeting held on 19th June 2022.

Having engaged all the various stakeholders severally and has two weeks ago engaged in a press conference which was highly reported by most of the media houses and journalists, we are so convinced that, the President, Minister of Finance and Minister of Health with their team have heard our plights clearly and loudly.

Government’s silence on allowance payments and starving health interns under the Minister of Health for nine months is very unfortunate, and unacceptable.

Interns are unable to pay for their rent, transportation, water and electricity. NEO, therefore, endorses the strike and calls on all interns to vacate their posts beginning 27th June 2022.”