Striking nurses and midwives have officially called off their nationwide industrial action, effective immediately, after days of disagreements with their employers, which led to widespread disruption to healthcare services.
The decision, announced today, Friday, June 13, by the President of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), Mrs. Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo, follows intensive negotiations with government representatives and an impassioned plea for compassion from various stakeholders.
In a virtual news conference, she said “The engagement held with the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health and other interested parties on Thursday, 12th June 2025, was very fruitful, and has paved the way for an amicable resolution of the impasse with our employer, concerning the implementation of our collective bargaining agreement.”
“In view of point one above, the GRNMA’s industrial action initiated on 2nd June 2025, is hereby suspended pending the outcome of a follow-up meeting scheduled for 26th June 2025.”
She directed the over 120,000 nurses to resume work on Saturday, June 14th. She assured the nurses and midwives that they would not rest until the collective agreement was fully implemented.
She said that as trained and professional nurses and midwives, their concerns or demands ought to be treated with urgency and in good faith.
“We do not take delight in seeing our patients suffer; however, we cannot take good care of others when the system does not take good care of us.
She also clarified that the GRNMA is a non-partisan and professional association and trade union, and the holder of a collective bargaining certificate covering all nurses and midwives in Ghana.
“In its 65 years of existence, the association has never aligned with any party in Ghana; rather, it has worked with every government since 1960 in building a strong and more resilient health system responding to the needs of Ghanaians, while at the same time representing the interests of nurses and midwives in matters related to their welfare and general working conditions.”
She extended her appreciation to the leadership and members of the Parliamentary Committee on Health for their timely intervention in setting a clear framework for the implementation of their collective agreement. She also thanked the nursing and midwifery fraternity for adhering to the roadmap and the media for airing their concerns.
She urged Ghanaians not to engage in misinformation, disinformation and propaganda in dealing with critical national issues.
The strike, which began on June 2, 2025, and escalated to a full withdrawal of services by June 9, had severely impacted public hospitals and clinics across the country.
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Patients were left stranded, emergency rooms stretched thin, and essential medical procedures postponed, leading to growing public outcry and concerns about preventable fatalities.
The GRNMA had demanded the full implementation of their 2024 Collective Agreement, which included provisions for various allowances such as the 30-month allowance, rural incentives, fuel, and uniform allowances.
The government had earlier highlighted its commitment to maintaining a 1.5% primary balance surplus as a key fiscal discipline target and maintained that the package for the nurses and midwives, which exceeds GH¢2 billion, would throw the current budget off gear.
Rather, the government pleaded for the nurses and midwives to accept an agreement which would factor their conditions of service into the next budget for implementation to kick off in 2026.
Consequently, the Deputy Minister of Finance, Thomas Nyarko Ampem, issued a direct appeal to striking nurses and midwives, urging them to return to the negotiation table.
This was backed by the Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, who encouraged the nurses and midwives to return to their posts as solutions are fashioned to address the matter.
Patients and their families, who have borne the brunt of the strike, have expressed profound relief.
The GRNMA cautioned that while the strike is off, they will closely monitor the government’s adherence to the agreed roadmap.
With nurses and midwives expected to return to their posts fully by tomorrow morning, healthcare services across Ghana are anticipated to gradually return to normal, offering a much-needed respite to the nation’s fragile health system.
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DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
