Dear Editor,
Kindly permit me a small space in your newspaper to express my frustration and that of some of my colleagues. I am a midwife who was registered in the month of January 2016 after completing three years of training. It has now been ten approaching eleven months and we are being pushed around for our hard earned salaries. I had made several calls, reports and written letters to the relevant personnel, including the Ministry of Health, the Regional Health Officer, the Regional Executive Officer and the Sister in charge of my location, but to no avail. There was one occasion when I contacted the Permanent Secretary’s office at the Ministry of Health in Georgetown and I was placed to talk to a woman whom I explained my plight to and in a rude response, she said “I don’t know about that, you have to wait until they are ready’’, and she hung up the phone. Are we, the midwives of this country, invading an unauthorised space that is causing us to be treated this way? We were given up to December 2016 to pay for our licence, we are in the month of November and we are not being paid. Now, can the Ministry tell us where will we get the money to fulfil such demands and how are we going to take care of our HYGIENE and other economic responsibilities? It is very sad to know that a country that is looking to improve its’ healthcare services is still treating the healthcare workers like volunteers/beggars. It is very draconian that the relevant personnel are sitting in their offices and watched us being treated like this, while they are enjoying the praises for our work. Is it that we have to go and stand at the Ministry of Presidency’s gate or at the Minister of Health’s door with placards bearing slogans demanding our money? Editor! This is a simple call to the relevant authorities to let them know that there are midwives in Regions 10, nine and one to be paid what is due to them.
Sincerely,
Frustrated midwife
