Swedru Hospital health extension workers withdraw services

Health Extension Workers at Agona Swedru Government Hospital have temporally withdrawn their services following the non payment of their seven months’ salary arrears.

The suspension of their services had affected the operation of the hospital, especially the Out Patient Department (OPD).

Mr Nurudeen Omar, Administrator of the hospital told GNA that though the authorities appreciated the services of the health extension workers they cannot pay their salaries.

The Health Extension workers numbering about 40 were recruited by the National Youth Employment Programme (NYEP) to complement the services of various health facilities in the country.

Mr Omar said the strike of the workers has compelled the authorities of the Agona Swedru government to meet with the leadership of Agona West Municipal Directorate of the National Youth Employment to find lasting solution to the problem.

He said “it is painful that these poor girls have worked for seven months and they not been paid, how can they survive as young girls”.

Mr Omar called on the authorities of NYEP to raise funds to pay them since their services are needed at the hospital.

Mr Kweku Acquaah, Agona West Coordinator of NYEP when contacted said efforts were being made to get money to pay the salary arrears.

He said last year September, Better Ghana Organization, a financial Institution engaged by the government to rectify anomalies in the salaries of the workers visited Agona West and promised to pay the arrears but had not been done.

When the GNA visited the hospital there were many patients mostly pregnant women crowded at the OPD struggling to collect their cards and folders to doctors.

Some of the patients GNA spoke to said the absence of health extension workers had created the problem and appealed to the government to make necessary arrangement to pay them.

Source: GNA