It was going to be an exercise in futility, the decision by the Health Minister, to call on retired nurses to step in when Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) went on strike, the immediate past President of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), Dr Kwaku Asante-Krobea, has said.
He explained that the retired nurses, most of whom are not in good health.
The Health Minister had called on retirees to go to the hospitals and hold the fort as the impact of the strike embarked on by members of the GRNMA intensified.
But speaking at a press conference in Accra on June 10, Mr Akandoh said, “Given the seriousness of the situation, the government appeals to public-spirited retired nurses and midwives to volunteer their services for a brief period pending the resolution of the impasse.”
Speaking on the Key Points on TV3 Saturday, June 14, he said that “the comedy of errors, like bringing retired nurses to come back. The retired nurses are not in the best of psychological frame of mind to bend themselves into the crisis. They are not in the best of health themselves.
“I was surprised that the Minister thought that this was going to be one of the strategies. It was going to be a disaster; it was going to be an exercise in futility.”
Meanwhile, Dr David Tenkorang-Twum, General Secretary of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), has said that they do not engage in politics.
He said that their strike action is not motivated by politics.
“We are not aligned with any political party. When GRNMA was formed, CPP was in power, but today CPP is a pale shadow of itself. In 2020, we went on strike,” he said on the Key Points on TV3 Saturday, June 14.
The GRNMA had said earlier that there was a lot of misinformation, disinformation and propaganda that surrounded their industrial action.
A statement announcing the suspension of their strike on Friday, June 13, signed by its president, Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo said that as nurses and midwives, they do not take delight in seeing their patients suffer; however, they cannot take good care of others when the system does not take good care of them.
The GRNMA declared a nationwide strike over the non-implementation of the 2024 Collective Bargaining Agreement, which was signed with the government a year ago.
The National Labour Commission (NLC) secured a court injunction after declaring the strike illegal and has directed the GRNMA to return to the negotiation table with the Ministry of Health.
More than 128,000 nurses and midwives across Ghana announced the nationwide industrial action on May 28, 2025, citing the government’s prolonged delay in implementing their new conditions of service agreed upon in 2024 under the Akufo-Addo administration.
The GRNMA insisted its members would only return to work once the new conditions of service are fully implemented.
But the statement announcing the suspension said that “Our demand from our employer was simply to have the Collective Agreement of Ghanaian nurses and midwives, which was signed in May, 2024, duly implemented without any further delay.
Having monitored the misinformation, disinformation and the propaganda that have surrounded our strike action, the leadership of the Association would like to set the record straight on the following:
“We are nurses and midwives trained to provide essential health services to the Ghanaian population, and matters affecting us which are brought formally to the attention of the employer must be treated with the urgency it deserves and in good faith.
“As nurses and midwives, 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.”
Below is the full statement…
The leadership of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association embarked on a roadmap of industrial actions on 2nd June 2025 with the wearing of red arm/head bands, followed by withdrawal of Out Patient Department (OPD) and Emergency services which culminated into the total withdrawal of all nursing and midwifery services on 9th June, 2025.
Our demand from our employer was simply to have the Collective Agreement of Ghanaian nurses and midwives which was signed in May, 2024 duly implemented without any further delay.
Having monitored the misinformation, disinformation and the propaganda that have surrounded our strike action, the leadership of the Association would like to set the records straight on the following:
1. We are nurses and midwives trained to provide essential health services to the Ghanaian population and matters affecting us which are brought formally to the attention of the employer must be treated with the urgency it deserves and in good faith.
2. As nurses and midwives, 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.
3. The GRNMA is a non partisan Professional Association and Trade Union and the holder of the Collective Bargaining Certificate covering all nurses and midwives in Ghana. In its sixty five years (65 years) of existence, the GRNMA has NEVER aligned with any political party in Ghana. Rather, it has worked with every government since 1960 in building a stronger and more resilient health system responsive to the health needs of Ghanaians whiles at the same time representing the interest of nurses and midwives in matters related to their welfare and general working conditions.
Considering all that has transpired from 2nd June, 2025 in relation to the pleas from the good people of Ghana, our patients and the timely intervention of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health, the leadership of the Association wishes to state as follows:
1. 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 Agreement.
2. In view of point 1 above, the GRNMA ‘s industrial action initiated on 2nd June 2025 is hereby SUSPENDED pending the outcome of the follow-up meeting scheduled for 26th June, 2025.
3. We call on our dear nurses and midwives to resume their normal shift duties from SATURDAY, 14th June, 2025 and assure you that we will not rest on our oars until the Collective Agreement is fully implemented.
4. We are thankful to the Chairman, Ranking Member and other members of the Parliamentary
Select Committee on Health for their timely intervention to set a clear framework for the implementation of our Collective Agreement.
We are equally grateful to the nursing and midwifery fraternity for the deep sense of solidarity in adhering to the roadmap. To the Press, we thank you sincerely for carrying our voices to Ghanaians and indeed the whole world and encourage you all to be professional in all matters to protect citizens from misinformation, disinformation and propaganda.
