The Heads of Mampong Nursing and Midwifery training college, Cape Coast Nursing Midwifery training college and School Dispensary Optics, Oyoko have been directed by ministry of Health to step aside following the arbitrary charging of fees in the above mentioned institutions for the 2016/2017 academic year.
Mr. Alex Segbefia, the Minister for Health who issued the directive at a news conference in Accra said the practice has escalated to the extent that some schools are adding extra items such as cement, electronic systems fees, stationary among others as additional levies for the academic year.
He said “We are unhappy about the practice because the exorbitant nature of such fees is defeating the purpose of getting those genuinely interested in providing health care into the institutions as against those who can afford it. This would ultimately result in the production of professionals whose dedication to duty would be in question.”
The sector minister disclosed that his outfit has learnt that some of the Christian Health Association of Ghana [CHAG] schools are charging an extra amount of GHc500 as logistic support which he indicated was unacceptable. Mr. Segbefia has therefore directed that such monies should be refunded to the students with immediate effect.
All other nursing training institutions, he said, are being monitored and further actions may be taken regarding other schools adding that the Ministry of Health would not tolerate any institutions under its control disregarding lay down policies and procedures.
The Minister of Health stated that Mampong Nursing and Midwifery Training College is a fully fledged Ministry of Health institution calling on the authorities of the school to abide by all laid down rules and regulation of the Ministry.
Mr. Segbefia said the board of the above mentioned school has been dissolved because it has served its 4-year mandated term. A new board according to the Minister will be reconstituted in due course.
The sector Minister said only approved fees from Ministry of Health as agreed with Conference of Heads of Health Training Institutions [COHHETI] should be charged.
He adds that the approved fees for the 2016/2017 academic is GHC 1400 revealing that only schools that opted to cafeteria services can charge additional GHC 600 for feeding as agreed by COHHETI.
Fees for additional items such as feeding fees, books, accommodation, uniforms, sports kits among others according to the Minister should be considered as optional and should not be made compulsory for students.
Where there is the need to charge for additional fees as indicated above, Mr. Segbefia said approval should be sought from the Health Training Institutions Secretariat of the Ministry of Health before students are levied.
The Minister of Health appealed to all institutions to adhere to the directives concerning the administration of health schools in the country to ensure coherence and uniformity in the fees charged by health training institutions.
Source: Adovor Nutifafa
dovor100@gmail.com
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