Trainee nurses question Mahama's sincerity over allowances he cancelled as president

Former President Mahama's promise of paying trainee nurses allowances has been met with mistrust, as a number of trainee nurses have rejected the former President's promise, which they describe as a "mere political bait."

Mahama, as President between 2012 and 2016, cancelled allowances for nursing and teacher trainees, and when the then opposition NPP responded to growing calls by affected nursing and teacher trainees by promising to restore the allowances if elected, former President Mahama vowed not to restore it.

True to its promise, the Akufo-Addo government restored the nursing and teacher trainee allowances immediately it took office in 2017, and has continuously expressed its commitment to it, in spite of recent delays in disbursements.

As the 2024 elections campaign heats up, former President Mahama appears to have found new love for the allowances he cancelled and refused to restore as President, as he has been promising nurses he will pay their outstanding allowances.

"I know all the challenges you are facing with your allowances and I am going to solve them when I come" Mahama told trainees at Ntotoroso Nursing and Midwifery Training College a few days ago.

However, Mahama appears to have lost the trust and confidence of trainee nurses, who have treated his new promise with a pinch of salt.

A number of them who spoke, after his interaction at the. College said, the former President was engaged in "political bait" and could not be trusted because of what he did when he had the chance to be President.

"He is just sweet-talking us. It is only a political bait because this is the same man who cancelled the allowances and refused to restore it even with calls for him to restore it," said one student who was among those who showed up to listen to the former President.

Another said, she thought 'former President Mahama would have something new for trainee nurses but it turned out there was really nothing from him. How do you look us in the face and promise us allowances you cancelled, which your main opponents restored for us?" she asked.

She added: "Mahama also promised to give us jobs through the hospitals the NPP government are building in districts across the country. I was confused when he said that, honestly. How do you come and promise us jobs through hospitals your opponents are building? By that statement, the former President himself has admitted that he has nothing new to offer us. Won't the NPP, which is building the hospitals offer trainee nurses jobs through hospitals they are building? If I have to trust any of them, my trust will be with the party that restored the allowances and the party building the hospitals. Not Mahama, who cancelled it."

Another nursing trainee, who is in her 2nd year of study, said she was 11 years old when Mahama left office as President, but added that her elder sister, who is now a nurse, told her how Mahama cancelled the allowances and refused to restore it, and how many nurses who had completed their training could not be posted to start work due to an embargo on public sector recruitment.

"My sister tells me how many trainees struggled in school due to the cancellation of the allowance by Mahama, and how many of them struggled after school because of the backlog,"

"My colleagues and I have also read so much about it. So much about what happened under Mahama as President with regards to trainee allowances and how the NPP restored it to help many. So many of us here who showed up to listen to Mr. former President Mahama don't really believe what he is telling us."