The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association(GRNMA) remains adamant on its demand for the government to implement its agreed-upon conditions of service this year.
The association says the government’s proposal to implement it in 2026, with the excuse that the conditions were not captured in the 2025 budget, is unacceptable.
According to them, before the budget presentation, the Minister of Health gave them firm assurance that their conditions of service were going to be catered for.
A meeting between the striking nurses and the government on Monday, June 9th, did not yield any positive results.
Speaking at a joint news conference between the Finance and Health ministries at the Jubilee House on Tuesday, June 10, the Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh noted that the implementation of the nurses’ demands this year will throw the government’s budget out of gear.
He thus urged the nurses to come to the table for further discussions on the way forward, as lives are at risk due to their continuous strike.
He, however, announced that some immediate measures being taken to fill in the gap will include an announcement of a list of additional health facilities that patients can visit for healthcare.
He also announced plans by the government to engage some retired nurses and midwives to step in until the matters with the striking nurses are resolved.
Speaking on JoyNews, the General Secretary of GRNMA, David Tekorang, firmly stated that the agreed conditions of service between the union and the government must be implemented this year, rejecting the government’s request to delay until 2026.
He emphasised that the union is ready to sit with the government, not for further negotiation but implementation, even if it’s gradual.
“If you tell me you are deferring the entire payment of the condition of services until 2026, what is that supposed to be? It is unfair.”
His comments come after the Ministry of Finance and Health, at a joint news conference at the Jubilee House, appealed for patience, citing that the demands were not factored into the current budget.
The Conditions of Service agreement was reached and signed in May 2024, and implementation was due in July 2024. However, a splinter group went to court to place an injunction on the implementation because they claimed what was signed was not adequate and that they were not consulted.
The court process was finally resolved in January this year, during the transition from the old to the new government.
According to the GRNMA, they’ve since held several meetings with the employer, and specifically met with the Health Minister way ahead of the budget presentation, and had been fully assured that their conditions were going to be catered for in the budget.
Background to the Strike
The strike, which began on 3rd June, was after months of unsuccessful negotiations with the government over improved conditions of service, including allowances, risk benefits, and rural posting support.
The union has accused the government of failing to honour its commitments, citing stagnation in salaries amid rising cost of living and inflation.
Hospitals and clinics across the country have since been left operating with skeletal staff, causing significant disruption to healthcare delivery.
Emergency services have been prioritised, but many patients in public hospitals have reported delays or outright cancellation of care.
While the Ministry of Health insists it remains open to dialogue, it has not yet presented a revised financial framework that would incorporate the nurses’ demands without breaching budgetary limits.
The GRNMA, for its part, insists that it will not call off the strike until tangible commitments are made.
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