The National Democratic Congress (NDC) flagbearer, John Dramani Mahama, has revealed that he decided to forgo nursing training allowances in order to use the funds for additional health infrastructure construction.
The then-opposition New Patriotic Party (NPP) attacked John Mahama for cutting teachers’ and nursing trainees’ allowances while pledging to restore them if he were elected.
However, Mr. Mahama gave a speech to Sefwi Wiaso Nurses Training College students outlining the rationale for the choice to switch out the allowances with loans.
According to him, his government came to the realization that posting newly graduated nurses to different stations would require a few years.
Nonetheless, more jobs and space for nurses to occupy would result from the construction of more infrastructure.
Speaking to the students, he said, “When we tried to explain the reason why we were replacing your allowances with student loans, people did not understand us. What we wanted to do was build more CHPS compounds, more hospitals, and more health facilities, more health centres so that when you come out you can get work to do that was our intention.
