During a recent protest, Nasiba Bawa, a prominent activist who advocated for healthcare reform, lost her job.
She lambasted the healthcare system in a now-famous interview with JoyNews, pointing out in particular the death of a 24-year-old patient as a result of being unable to pay for medical expenses.
Discussions regarding her interview were particularly sparked by how she described the situation of renal disease patients at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
Nasiba Bawa alleges that while she was on sick leave, her company, Proxy Assistant, fired her from her work barely 48 hours after she spoke at the protest.
She hasn’t explicitly connected her termination to her involvement in the demonstration, but she has stated that there is frequently a “price to pay for speaking out.”
Bawa made it clear that she had no knowledge of any political prejudice within the organization.
On October 9, 2023, she participated in an interview with Joy News.
“If I knew the company was partisan, then maybe I could say that…but I don’t know it is partisan. I wasn’t rebuked for going to the protest; my uncle said that there is a price to pay for everything,” she stated.
Employer responds
Her employer has, however, refuted Bawa’s allegations.
In a press release, the organization asserted that Nasiba Bawa is, in fact, a co-founder of the company, and her termination was not linked to her involvement in the protest, as some reports have suggested.
The company also acknowledged the economic difficulties it is currently facing.
