A photo collage of Ellen Ama Daaku, Akandoh and Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings
A member of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) communications team, Ellen Ama Daaku, has criticised Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, over his comments during the recent strike by the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA).
During the strike which saw nurses and midwives nationwide withdrawing their services over poor conditions of service, Akandoh suggested that retired nurses should step in to help save lives.
This comment sparked outrage, with Ama Daaku describing it as “insulting to the entire nursing fraternity.”
According to her, the minister should have proposed more constructive solutions rather than making what she considers an irresponsible and demeaning statement.
Speaking in an interview on Movement TV on June 13, 2025, Ama Daaku accused the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government of appointing unqualified individuals to sensitive positions, particularly in the health sector.
She questioned why the NDC chose Kwabena Mintah Akandoh over Dr Zanetor Agyeman-Rawlings, whom she described as a qualified medical doctor, Member of Parliament for Korle Klottey, and a daughter of the party’s founder, the late Jerry John Rawlings.
She referenced Akandoh’s much-talked-about vetting in 2015 as the then Deputy Minister-designate for Water Resources, Works & Housing, during which he mentioned having work experience as a dining hall prefect an answer that went viral and was widely ridiculed.
“Today Akandoh is out here making insulting remarks. If not for poor decision-making, why would they choose Akandoh a dining hall prefect over someone like Dr Zanetor Rawlings, a qualified medical doctor and the daughter of the party’s founder? God has punished them,” she said.
She continued, “You have even heard NDC nurses complain that some of those admitted into nursing training today failed their WASSCE exams.
“Yet, today Akandoh has the guts to hold a press conference and tell us that retired nurses should come out of retirement to work, while vibrant young nurses are protesting for their rights,” she added.
“This is the government we voted for?”
Meanwhile, the striking nurses and midwives have officially called off their nationwide industrial action after days of disagreements with their employers, which led to widespread disruption to healthcare services.
The decision announced on Friday, June 13, 2025, by the President of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo, follows intensive negotiations with government representatives and an impassioned plea for compassion from various stakeholders.
AM/KA
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