The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has issued a strong warning that it will not tolerate further delays in the implementation of its revised conditions of service.
This follows the sudden rescheduling of a long-anticipated meeting with Parliament’s Health Committee from Thursday, June 26, to Wednesday, July 10.
The postponement, according to the Committee, was due to the absence of both the Health and Finance Ministers, who are reportedly outside the country.
The GRNMA had expected the now-postponed meeting to mark a major breakthrough in resolving critical outstanding issues regarding their working conditions.
Reacting to the development on Citi FM’s Eyewitness News, GRNMA Vice President Samuel Alagkora Akologo expressed disappointment at the last-minute nature of the notice and questioned the level of seriousness with which the matter was being handled.
“What we are saying is that we had two weeks to do this work. Why didn’t this communication come much earlier?” he asked. “Is it the possibility that on the 10th this date can be postponed? That possibility is there and that is why we are giving early signal that we will not be happy with that. The fact that we have accepted to wait until 10th should be considered as even reasonable on our part.”
Akologo reminded stakeholders that the GRNMA had suspended a planned strike earlier this month in good faith, trusting the Health Committee to deliver on its commitments. He warned, however, that the Association’s patience was wearing thin.
“I don’t envisage that they will disappoint us but in the unlikely event that they disappoint us, the National Council will advise on what to do,” he stated. “We believe in this process and we are hoping that on 10th July we will not get there and they will tell us we are still doing this. We are going there to get what they have for us with clear timelines, including those they accepted that it should be implemented next year.”
In response to the backlash, Chairman of the Health Committee, Dr. Mark Kurt Nawaane, said the postponement was unavoidable and not a sign of neglect.
“The Minister for Health and the Minister for Finance are unavoidably absent from the jurisdiction. The Committee, therefore, thought it prudent to inform the nurses’ association of the above,” Dr. Nawaane explained. “I want to use this opportunity to reassure the nurses that the Health Committee and Parliament will continue to advocate for them.”
The July 10 meeting is now being seen as a make-or-break moment in the ongoing negotiations. The GRNMA has made it clear: it expects answers, timelines, and results, not excuses.
