Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh has urged members of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) to end their ongoing strike and re-engage with the government to find a resolution to their grievances.
The Minister made the appeal during a nationwide visit to several health facilities to assess how the industrial action is affecting healthcare delivery across the country. The strike, which began on Wednesday, May 28, stems from what the association describes as the government’s failure to fully implement the 2024 collective agreement signed with the Ministry of Health.
Addressing journalists on Thursday, June 5, Mr. Akandoh acknowledged the legitimacy of the nurses’ frustrations but emphasized the need for a patient-centered approach in resolving the crisis.
“I will continue to appeal to them that in all these matters, what we have to do is to put the patient first. In my humble opinion, I do not think that a strike is what will resolve the issue at the end of the day. No matter what, at the end of the day, we need to sit around the table to resolve the matter. I am still calling them, let us sit around the table and let’s find a lasting solution to this matter,” he said.
Despite the Minister’s plea, the GRNMA remains firm in its stance, insisting that the strike will persist until all provisions of the collective agreement are fully honored. The industrial action has severely disrupted healthcare services nationwide, with reports of overcrowded emergency wards and delayed treatments becoming increasingly common.
As negotiations stall, there is growing concern over the welfare of patients, particularly in rural and underserved areas, where the absence of nurses and midwives has left many facilities unable to operate effectively.
