The Ministry of Health (MoH) has instituted an investigative team to investigate trainee midwives and nurses who collect double allowances from the Ministry of Health and National Secretariat respectively.
According to a statement from the Ministry, the practice is against the Public Service Commission Act which bars workers from drawing double salaries/allowances from the Consolidated Fund, adding that, “all those who have received the above allowances and clearly do not deserve them will be made to refund them”.
The statement mentioned the main perpetrators as some trainees doing their Rotation or National Service and warned that they would not be spared when caught.
The Ministry noted that, in the year 2013 and April, 2014 an amount of One Hundred and Fifty Million (Ghc 150m) was paid to some trainee Midwives and Nurses as part of their trainee/ internship allowances but this has not been acknowledged by these trainees.
“In view of this the Ministry of Health has requested for details of these recipients of these allowances from the Controller and Accountant Generals Department,” the statement disclosed.
The Ministry was optimistic that after the exercise, it would be clear who have received their allowances and those who have not.
The Ministry wants the trainee Midwives and nurses to remain calm whilst the Ministry works at resolving their concerns.
Trainee Midwives and Nurses recently embarked on a demonstration to drive home their call for payment of delayed allowances.
This prompted the Ministry of Health to make the disclosure that an amount of One Hundred and Fifty Million (Ghc 150m) was paid to them but no acknowledgement was made by the beneficiary trainees.
The lack of acknowledgement has led to the Ministry calling for a probe into suspicions of trainees drawing double salaries/allowances from the Consolidated Fund.
The Ministry is bent on clearing the system of such practices that drain government coffers and present government deeds in the wrong light.
