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General News on Tuesday, January 29, 2019
Source: Myjoyonline.com
2019-01-29
Dr. Hamid said Muslim women should not be "harbaded" for wearing their hijab in health facilities
Zongo's Minister of Development has expressed his anger at the growing discrimination against Muslim hijab nurses in public health facilities across the country.
Dr. Mustapha Hamid warned health authorities and hospital administrators against such practices, which would be unconstitutional.
According to him, the constitution gives all citizens the right to profess and manifest the religion of their choice.
"I want the health authorities and administrators to tell me how a Muslim woman can manifest her" Islamism "with the hijab? If the hijab is not a symbol of piety, it is a symbol of identity and identity is a manifestation, "he told the reporter during the series of press conferences in Accra, Tuesday.
The minister said he had received numerous complaints from Muslim nurses from various health facilities across the country, who claimed to be harbaded by their superiors.
"They complain that their supervisors and their senior nurses are asking them to take off their hijabs, otherwise they would have to go home, otherwise they would not be able to work as nurses," he said.
Dr. Nsiah Asare, Director General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), stated that the government's policy on the wearing of the hijab by Muslim nurses has not been revised and that these should therefore be allowed to wear it.
But Dr. Hamid cited examples in some institutions where the nurses in question were frustrated or demoted after failing to obey the instructions to remove their hijabs.
"I received a call from a Muslim neighborhood supervisor at the Accra Psychiatric Hospital who informed me that she had been demoted because the Deputy Director of Nursing had seen her and asked her: "Why do you wear a hijab? You can not wear a hijab here … if you want to go to work in an Islamic hospital. I am very offended by this, "revealed the minister obviously angry.
The former Minister of Information added that the nurse in question, Adizatu Ibrahim, had returned to his post demoted, still wearing the hijab, and that his superiors had asked him a letter.
"… the day you were in hijab and the badistant director of the nursing services wanted to be certain of the consequences of wearing the hijab …" explains part of the letter explaining that it is because that they are working in a psychiatric facility and mentally unstable patients will pull the hijab, "he said.
According to the letter, a number of female staff members were injured by patients who were able to obtain hair or clothing.
"All staff members of women's mental health institutions have to shave," he said, questioning the rationale for the directive.
Dr. Hamid explained that he had gone to the bottom of things by contacting Dr. Akwasi Osei, head of the Mental Health Authority, who had ensured that Ms. Ibrahim had been reinstated to her position. post and that she was still wearing her hijab.
He stated that President Akufo-Addo was very uncompromising with regard to integration and that he did not want any discrimination, especially on the basis of bad, religion or ethnicity , and would not tolerate such treatment.
"I want people to know that the president has given me the mandate to protect the interests of the Zongo if these interests and rights are violated (…) I will fight to defend these interests of my last breath" , did he declare.
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