Government has closed down the Health Training Institutions Secretariat in Accra.
The secretariat, inaugurated by former Health Minister Alex Segbefia in November 2015, was a regulatory body for all 85 public and private health institutions supervising student intake into all such schools and the tuition fees they charged.
Addressing a town hall meeting on Easter Monday April 17 to mark 100 days of the Akufo-Addo government, Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia described the secretariat as “419”, a depiction that the institution was a scam.
He further disclosed that the Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo-led government had reduced the cost of nurse training institutions’ application forms from GHS160 to GHC100.
“In the area of health, we had a lot of nurse trainees who had been sitting at home but within these last 100 days, approval has been given to employ 11,000 health trainees who graduated between 2012 and 2016,” he stated.
“We have dissolved the Health Training Institutions [Secretariat]. It was mainly, practically a 419 institute which was engaged in collecting monies from prospective applicants, but we have dissolved it and in addition we have reduced the cost of nurse training admission forms from GHS160 to GHS100 and this will cover all the processes leading to admission.”
Dr Bawumia further reiterated that government had restored the nurse training allowance which will take effect from September and has in addition secured financial clearance to employ 181 doctors who completed their residency seven months ago.