The Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has urged the striking nurses and midwives to return to the negotiation table.
According to him, the strike action will only lead to loss of life, which cannot be replaced.
“With the greatest of respect, lives lost can never be replaced. We are not ready to intimidate anybody, and I hope nobody wants to intimidate government. We are the mother ministry, and we must behave as mothers, so we are calling on them to come and let’s talk,” he said on June 5.
Mr Akandoh was reacting to the biting effect of the strike action by members of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), which commenced on Monday June 2.
The nurses are agitating over the non-implementation of agreed collective bargaining agreement reached between them and the erstwhile Akufo-Addo administration.
With the full strike action yet to take effect from June 9, the consequences are becoming unbearable for patients.
Speaking in an interview on Accra-Based JoyNews, Mr Akandoh said, “They must come, even if today, and we have been trying to reach out to them.”
He added, “We do not want to underate the impact of their strike action. I am ready to be on board fully to ensure we find amicable solution to this matter so that we don’t lose any life in a manner that is preventable.”
The Health Minister pleaded with the nurses and midwives to let cool heads prevail.
“So, I am just calling on everybody, cool heads must prevail, let’s massage our egos, let’s put emotions aside, let’s find solution,” he urged.
He reaffirmed his commitment to resolving the issue.
“Government is a continuum, so any demand which is legitimate must be pursued by the Minister. So, since I took office, I have been engaging them and, in some cases, we try to get a resolution to the issue. I was a bit taken a back and it came as a shock that they have declared a roadmap for strike.
“I believe that in all this, my brothers and sisters should put the patient first. We operate an open-door policy, and I am ready to engage and meet anybody at any time. Not until we find a lasting solution to the matter, we will not rest,” he assured.
Mr Akandoh further noted that the Minister of Finance, Dr Cassiel Ato Forson has also given his word on addressing the concerns of the health workers.
“They have been in constant touch with the Ministry of Finance because this goes beyond the Ministry of Health. I could not absolve myself from responsibility until the full implementation of the agreement because we are their employers. Where we have reached, the Minister of Finance would have to play a key role, of which we are engaging the Ministry.
“I can tell you the Ministry of finance is fully committed to finding solution for this matter. But we cannot be on strike and negotiate at the same time,” he stressed.
Asked what could be done to avert further inconveniences to patients, as a pregnant woman with snake bite was refused care due to the strike action, he remarked, “These are all the things we want to avoid. I get emotional when hear of some of these things.”
