Three heads of health training schools suspended for charging unapproved fees

The Minister of Health, Mr Alexander Segbefia, has asked heads of three health training institutions to step aside for further investigations into the allegation of charging unapproved fees by their institutions.

The institutions are the Mampong Nursing and Midwifery College in the Ashanti Region, Cape Coast Nursing and Midwifery Training College in the Central Region and the Oyoko School of Dispensary Optics, also in the Ashanti Region.

The Minister has also dissolved the board of the Mampong Nursing and Midwifery College as the four-year tenure of the board had ended and a new board is to be constituted.

Mr Segbefia  said the school was under the authority of the MoH and, therefore, it should henceforth abide by all laid-down rules and regulations of the ministry.

He also asked the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG’s) schools that were charging an amount of GHc500 to cover logistical support should refund such monies to its students.

The minister warned other nursing institutions that they were being monitored and could face sanctions if found culpable.

Press conference

Briefing the media at a news conference in Accra yesterday, Mr Segbefia said the arbitrary charging of fees in the above mentioned institutions for the 2016/2017 academic year was a matter of gross concern.

“This practice has escalated to the extent that some schools are adding extra items as additional levies for the academic year” and mentioned some of the items to include cement, electronic system fees and stationery, among other items.

“We are unhappy about this practice because the exorbitant nature of such fees was defeating the purpose of getting those genuinely interested in providing health care into the institutions as against those who can afford it”, he said.

According to the minister, this would ultimately result in the production of professionals whose dedication to duty would be in question.

He said the ministry would not tolerate any institution under its mandate that disregarded laid-down policies and procedures.

He said only approved fees from the Ministry of Health ,as agreed on with the Conference of Heads of Health Training Institutions (COHHETI), should be charged.

“For the avoidance of doubt, approved fees for the 2016/2017 academic year is GHc1,400,” he said, adding that only schools which opted for cafetaria services could charge additional GHc600 for feeding as agreed by COHHETI”.

He said additional items such as feeding fees, books, accommodation, uniforms, sports kits, among other charges, should be considered as optional and should not be made compulsory for students.

“Where there is the need to charge additional fees as indicated above, approval should be sought from the Health Training Institutions Secretariat of the MoH before students are levied”, he added.

The minister directed that deputy heads in the affected schools were to take over till the issues were resolved.