By Francis Kobena Tandoh
Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh on Thursday appealed to striking nurses and midwives to suspend their strike and return to the negotiating table to resolve their grievances.
Akandoh made the appeal during a tour of some health facilities in the Ghanaian capital of Accra to assess the impact of the industrial action by members of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA).
The nurses and midwives are protesting over the Ghanaian government’s failure to implement their 2024 collective agreement aimed at improving their working conditions.
The Ghanaian health minister acknowledged the significance of the nurses’ concerns but stressed the need to prioritize patients’ well-being.
“I will continue to appeal to them that in all these matters, what we have to do is to put the patient first. In my humble opinion, I do not think that a strike is what will resolve the issue at the end of the day. No matter what, at the end of the day, we need to sit around the table to resolve the matter. I am still calling them. Let us sit around the table and let’s find a lasting solution to this matter,” said Akandoh.
Despite the appeal, the nurses and midwives insist that the strike will continue until their demands are fully met.
The industrial action by the health professionals, which began on May 28, has led to significant disruptions in public health services across the West African country.
Most patients who had gone to public healthcare facilities to seek medical care had to leave due to the industrial action by the nurses and midwives.
Meanwhile, the country’s labor commission, in a letter on Tuesday, had directed members of the GRNMA to suspend their strike. Enditem
Source: Ghana Eye Report
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