27,000 nurses to be recruited- Gov't assures unemployed nurses

The Minister of Information, Mustapha Hamid, says government will recruit 27,000 “various categories of nurses” this year while urging demonstrating unemployed nurses to go back home.

“Government has made provision in the 2018 budget for the recruitment of 32,000 health personnel, including 27,000 for various categories of nurses,” he said.

According to him, since 2017, government has employed 16,000 nurses who had completed between 2012 to 2015 and were unemployed.

“It is important to state that, when we came into office in 2017, there was a backlog of graduates from 2012 to 2015 to be absorbed,” he said.

He continued: “As we speak nearly all those in that category have been absorbed. Since 2017, government has engaged more than 16,000 of those who graduated between 2012 and 2015.”

Some unemployed nurses have been picketing the at Health Ministry since Monday over government's inability to post them.

READ MORE: Ankaful nurses calls off strike

They were forcefully ejected from the Ministry's premises by the police yesterday evening. They claim they police used force and fired tear gas at them.

The nurses were heard chanting "we will show Nana in 2020" when they returned to picket at the Ministry again this morning.

The nurses who completed their studies in 2016 say they have held several meetings with the Minister for health with a view to address their concerns but to no avail.