The Health Minister Kwaku Agyeman-Manu has said that he cannot employ the members of the Coalition of Unemployed Private Nurses even if they put a knife to his throat.

The privately trained nurses have been picketing the Health Ministry for two days now over what they called government’s failure to post them several years after completing colleges of health.

The Coalition made up of over three thousand qualified nurses from accredited private Nursing training schools, believe that government was discriminating against them in the ongoing posting of health sector workers.

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They argue that they are equally qualified to be recruited by the government to serve in various public health institutions.

Addressing the nurses at the Health Ministry, Mr Agyeman-Manu said he cannot do anything about their situation as the financial clearance for them to be posted is not available.

“I have told you that before I assumed office as the Health Minister, the financial clearance has been issued with names of people already on it, and it makes your situation bad.

“So as it stands now I cannot change it but I have begun processes to have privately trained nurses employed but the financial clearance is not here. As I stand here now even if you put a knife to my throat I cannot employ you because I don’t have the financial clearance”.

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Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the protesting nurses, Doreen Boateng has expressed shock at the comments by the Minister, saying that they will continue to picket until their concerns are addressed.

“In fact, it’s a problem, how can a whole father of health tell us that even if we put a knife at his throat there is nothing he could do for us.”

“We are going to be there because we think that they are not telling us the truth until they come out to assure us to come back at a particular date we will adhere, but if they just give us verbal promises, we will continue to loiter around,” she said.

Some groups of trainee and trained nurses have in recent times protested against the government over similar concerns.

Some were even forced to picket the Ministry of Health for nights before they secured their posting.