The Coalition of Hygiene Students Ghana has submitted a formal petition to the Ministry of Health, highlighting several unresolved concerns affecting interns and National Service personnel in the country’s schools of hygiene. The students, particularly from the Tamale School of Hygiene, are calling for immediate intervention to address what they describe as serious omissions and neglect from the ministry’s financial clearance list, which they claim has unjustly excluded eligible students.
The petition underscores a growing frustration among hygiene students, who argue that their counterparts in other health-related fields are receiving better treatment and recognition, particularly in terms of financial support. According to the students, the Ministry of Health has been rejecting forms submitted by Environmental Health Agencies and has delayed payments of allowances to hygiene students from 2021 to 2022. These delays, they argue, have placed an undue financial burden on the students, who are already grappling with other academic and personal expenses.
In their petition, the Coalition is demanding that the Ministry of Health corrects the omissions from the financial clearance list, ensuring that all eligible students receive the financial support they are entitled to. They emphasize that environmental health trainees deserve equal recognition and compensation, stressing that hygiene education is a crucial part of the country’s healthcare system. The students are also calling for an overhaul of the infrastructure and fee structure at the nation’s three schools of hygiene, pointing out that these institutions are in dire need of improvement to create a conducive learning environment.
“Hon. Minister, we demand that we are allowed to fill and witness the endorsement of the iPpd forms immediately at the ministry! Stop rejecting forms filled out by Environmental Health Agencies. Environmental Health is equally a health profession, and hygiene is a school,” the students stated in their petition.
The petition goes further to compare the treatment of hygiene students to that of nurses, arguing that hygiene trainees should not be treated as inferior to their nursing counterparts. The Coalition stressed that hygiene trainees play an essential role in maintaining public health and safety, and they deserve the same level of respect and support as any other health professionals.
“So from the president to the minister and the least person in the hierarchy, everyone must do their best to ensure that hygiene trainees live in comfort, and we will always agitate for that. The nurse is not better than the Environmental Health officer. The ‘Tankas’ profession is equally important,” the students stated.
In their plea for fairness, the students pointed out that the profession of environmental health, often referred to as “Tankas” in some local communities, is just as critical to public health as nursing or any other healthcare profession. They expressed frustration over the perceived neglect of their profession and the lack of support from the Ministry of Health. The petition emphasized that the health and well-being of hygiene students should be prioritized, and they should not have to fight for the basic allowances and recognition that are routinely provided to other health trainees.
“What is good for the goose is equally good for the gander! Ensure that all those who haven’t received their monies since 2021 are paid and if possible compensated for variations including us. For we did no wrong to warrant this treatment from the Ministry,” the petition continued.
The Coalition of Hygiene Students Ghana has made it clear that they are prepared to continue agitating for their rights until their concerns are addressed. They argue that the current treatment of hygiene students is unjust and must be corrected immediately. The students hope that by submitting this petition, the Ministry of Health will take swift action to address their concerns and ensure that future batches of hygiene students do not face similar challenges.
The petition has sparked conversations within the environmental health community about the broader issue of equity and fairness in the healthcare training sector. Many environmental health professionals believe that their field is often overlooked despite its critical role in disease prevention, sanitation, and overall public health maintenance. By raising these concerns, the students are not only advocating for their own rights but also for the future of environmental health education in Ghana.
In the meantime, the students are urging the Ministry of Health to expedite the payment of outstanding allowances and to take steps to prevent future delays. They also want the Ministry to engage in meaningful dialogue with the schools of hygiene and their students to address the underlying issues affecting the sector.
The petition has been met with solidarity from several advocacy groups, who are calling on the Ministry of Health to take the grievances seriously and work towards a swift resolution. As the students await a response, they remain hopeful that their collective voice will bring about the necessary changes to ensure fair treatment and recognition for all hygiene trainees in Ghana.
