Former Member of Parliament for Sekondi and legal practitioner, Andrew Agyapa-Mercer, has criticised the government’s response to the ongoing nurses’ strike.
He branded the reaction as insensitive, callous,” and dismissive.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, June 14, Agyapa-Mercer condemned what he described as the government’s nonchalant approach to resolving the legitimate concerns raised by striking nurses and midwives.
“I think that government was insensitive. They were just callous. They were dismissive of the issues and nonchalantly handled the entire matter,” he said.
His remarks follow a nationwide industrial action led by the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), which commenced in early June.
The strike was prompted by the government’s failure to honour agreements reached with the association in May 2024, particularly around conditions of service, salary adjustments, and the absorption of nurses appointed in late 2024.
Despite repeated engagements, the agreed-upon provisions were reportedly omitted from the 2025 national budget, triggering the walkout.
The GRNMA has insisted that government officials failed to take their grievances seriously, and have accused state communicators of resorting to public attacks rather than constructive dialogue.
Mr Agyapa-Mercer echoed those concerns, stating: “Government communicators went out insulting these nurses as if to say they were at fault, when indeed and in fact it was government that refused to capture the provisions that had been agreed on as far back as May 2024 in the 2025 budget.”
He further criticised the posture of senior officials, accusing them of being out of touch with the reality facing ordinary Ghanaians.
“Not surprising,” he noted, “because they go to private hospitals and when push comes to shove, they are shipped off to Europe to attend better medical services. So the people of Ghana necessarily ought to suffer?”
Perhaps most damning was his reaction to the government’s justification for not meeting the nurses’ demands and referring to a recent interview with the Minister of Communications.
“I was surprised that he said they were protecting the economy. You put the economy over and above the lives of Ghanaians who potentially can lose their lives when strike actions of this nature take place?” he asked.