Unemployed nursing officers have threatened unspecified action over Malawi Government’s delay to either employ them or allow them to go and work in United States of America and Saudi Arabia.
On Thursday 27th April, 2023, representatives of 3,260 unemployed nursing officers across the country held a press briefing in Blantyre where they made a fresh call for the Malawi government to employ them.
Chairperson of the grouping Frank Louis Kamwendo told journalists at the presser that it is very worrisome that government is just watching them languishing in poverty and living a hopeless life despite having all necessary requirements for practice.
Kamwendo said Malawi has been training enough nurses that if they had been utilized through effective and unbiased recruitment process, the country would have met the World Health Organisation’s standard of 2:9 nurse-client ratio.
The grouping through the chairperson has then demand formal employment from the ministries of health and labour and says if they fail to do so, the unemployed nurses will do unspecified action.
“We demand formal employment from the Minister of health and Ministry of Labour so that we get out of this torturous life that the two ministries have heaped on Nursing Officers. Failure to address this genuine concern shall lead to unspecified action in due course,” said Kamwendo.
Kamwendo further pointed out that if there are no chances of employing the nursing officers here in Malawi, they should be allowed to be exported to United States of America and Saudi Arabia where they are desperately needed.
He added that denying them an opportunity to work abroad is as good as cooking nsima that one won’t finish eating, and said if government is failing to recruit nursing officers, they should be given to other countries for maximum utilization and in return get foreign currency
“If your ministry has failed to recruit us, and if you are aware by any chance that your ministry will be unable to employ Nursing Officers, then we demand that you negotiate with other stakeholders for instance; National Organization of Nurses and Midwives (NONM) and World Health Organization (WHO) to facilitate human resource exportation. We are ready to go and work elsewhere if need be,” said Kamwendo.
The group has also complained that nursing officers have been facing emotional torture and embarrassment during walk in interviews administered in different councils across Malawi where they say they are ruled out for being overqualified.
Furthermore, the grouping has also expressed concern over Pharmacy Medicine Regulatory Authority (PMRA) revised act which bars nursing officers from using their licenses to open their own medicine stores.
Kamwendo wondered that if the nursing officers who are at the epicenter of the hospital, are not allowed to use their hard earned licences to open medicine stores, then what kind of business will they do looking at the skills they obtained while at University?
“The PMRA revised its act which is preventing nurses and clinicians from using their licenses to open drug stores and even working there. By not allowing nursing officers to use their licences to open the medicine stores are we by any chance promoting entrepreneurship as President Lazarus Chakwera wants?
“We demand a declaration by the minister of health that the decision by the PMRA to put into effect its revised act which hinders nursing officers from using their licences to open medicine stores, as evil,” he added.
The grouping says it has decided not to give an ultimatum saying in most cases, decision makers take such ultimatum for granted, but says they will however address members of the press soon to clarify on their next core of action.
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