Member of Parliament for Akim Oda, Alexander Akwasi Acquah, has raised a red flag over the government’s apparent inability to meet the demands of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), warning of serious consequences as the union’s July deadline draws closer.
Speaking on Channel One Newsroom on Tuesday, July 1, the MP, who also sits on Parliament’s Health Committee, expressed frustration over the lack of progress.
He revealed that he had personally requested the Health Minister be summoned to Parliament to provide answers, but the Minister’s address focused solely on COVID-19 and Mpox, completely sidestepping the pressing issue of the nurses’ grievances.
“The nurses’ issue was one of the things that I personally asked that the minister be summoned to Parliament this week, but unfortunately, he did not address it. The Majority Leader hinted to us that the president needed to have a meeting with the Health Minister and the Finance Minister,” Acquah said.
He explained that the Ministry of Finance is currently struggling to meet the financial obligations tied to the nurses’ demands. Despite the Health Committee’s assurances to the GRNMA to allow for some time, the union has maintained a firm deadline.
“What I am told is that the Finance Ministry is having some difficulty in coming to terms with their demands. Even though the Health Committee stood in for them and assured the nurses that they should give us a period, the nurses had given up to a deadline of July, and I am hoping that between now and that period, we should be able to get some substance from the government,” he stated.
Acquah went further to caution that the Health Committee’s Minority members would not continue to engage in negotiations if the government fails to act.
“Otherwise, we, the minority on the committee, have said that we are not going to be part of it because we have sacrificed our credibility and we led the various negotiations to get the nurses to return to work,” he added.
The GRNMA has been vocal about its demands for improved conditions of service, and their looming deadline signals potential disruptions in Ghana’s healthcare delivery if a resolution is not reached soon.
