The leadership of the Alliance of Concerned Nurses and Midwives has said that the only way it can get the attention of President Akufo-Addo and its mother body (Ministry of Health) is to declare its maximum support and participation in the upcoming #fixthecountry demonstration scheduled for Wednesday, August 4, 2021.
The group says its profession does not allow it to engage in partisan politics but it has seen that the #fixthecountry demonstration will be the best opportunity it can use to talk about systemic problems affecting its members in their quest to champion healthy services.
Speaking to Solomon Tettey, Convenor of the group on A1radioonline.com he noted that part of the numerous reasons they will be part of the demonstration is the profession does not have control over where its members will be posted and whether the available logistics will be there for effective working.
He said “Due to this, many of our colleagues have been posted to facilities where basic logistics and social amenities to work with are not even available. In the provision of health care, certain basic needs must be met by appropriate authorities to make the work of nurses and midwives smooth.
Mr Tettey stressed that “There are several genuine concerns that nurses and midwives at various levels have but cannot talk about them due to our over politicization (partisan) of issues. They fear being bullied or intimidated by authorities who are mostly partisan in their judgments of issues.”
Touching on when the group even came into being, Mr Tettey stated that it was in operation since 2019 and it does not belong to any political party and only seeks the welfare of its members.
“We join this demonstration as we speak devoid of partisan politics on issues affecting all of us as Ghanaians that must be addressed immediately or in the long term”, he said.
He however revealed their mode of participation especially to those who can not make it in-person due to their work schedules to use their social media as a tool to voice their opinion.
“Due to the nature of our work, we call on those who for their shifts cannot be part of this demonstration in-person to use their social media platforms to talk about the things that we want to be addressed by those in power on the scheduled date. We are also informing our members that this protest is not against a party in power but against anyone who may not be performing his or her duty (leadership) to make our work as health care providers smooth. You cannot be intimidated.”
Source:A1radioonline.com|101.1 MHz|Moses Apiah|Ghana
