Ghanaian nurses are on war path with the government in what is expected to be a torturous battle for their improved conditions of service in the health sector if the Mahama administration does not act fast.
This is because the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has remained unwavering in its demand for the government to implement its agreed-upon conditions of service in 2025 and not the suggested period of next year.
The conditions of service include allowances, risk benefits, and rural posting support, among others.
The question many are asking: “How did the striking nurses alert the government to a looming health crisis?”
The nurses have been on strike since June 3, 2025, leaving many patients praying for God’s life-saving intervention as Out Patients Departments (OPDs) and hospital wards have been abandoned by these essential health workers across the country.
Thousands of patients have been left stranded, with emergency units operating minimally and scheduled surgeries postponed indefinitely.
Consequently, there have been regrettable reported cases of deaths nationwide as a result of the strike by nurses.
The nurses’ demand has unsettled the Mahama government, which is now calling on retired nurses to intervene in order to prevent a looming crisis in the health sector.
According to the nurses, the government had not kept faith with them, a situation that smacks of a betrayal of trust.
The GRNMA said the excuse that their conditions of service were not captured in the 2025 budget is unacceptable.
According to members of the Association, before the budget presentation, the Minister for Health gave them firm assurance that their conditions of service were going to be catered for.
A meeting between the striking nurses and the government on Monday, June 9, 2025, did not yield any positive results.
The striking nurses warned the government of a looming health crisis as staff shortages, burnout, and underfunding threaten patient care.
Agreed conditions of service
The Conditions of Service agreement with the government was reached and signed in May 2024, with implementation due in July 2024.
However, a splinter group went to court to place an injunction on the implementation because they claimed what was signed was not adequate and that they were not consulted.
The court process was finally resolved in January this year, during the transition from the old to the new government.
According to the GRNMA, they have since held several meetings with government, and specifically met with the Health Minister way ahead of the budget presentation, and had been fully assured that their conditions were going to be catered for in the 2025 budget.
2025 national budget under pressure
Speaking at a joint news conference by the Ministries of Finance and Health at the Jubilee House in Accra yesterday, the Minister for Health, Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh noted that the implementation of the nurses’ demands this year will throw the government’s budget out of gear.
According to the Deputy Minister of Finance, Thomas Nyarko Ampem, full implementation of the nurses’ conditions of service will cost about GH¢2 billion.
He explained that GH¢2 billion increase in the compensation budget represents a substantial financial burden, potentially consuming a significant portion of the annual budget allocated for essential services or capital investments.
For context, this figure could account for over 10% of the health sector’s entire annual budget or fund multiple crucial infrastructure projects.
Mr. Nyarko Ampem underscored the government’s overarching commitment to macroeconomic stability, particularly under the ongoing IMF Extended Credit Facility programme.
“We have all committed that in our resolve to reset the economy of this country, we must maintain a 1.5% primary balance surplus every year in order to bring our debt levels to sustainable levels,” he stressed.
The Deputy Minister has therefore urged the nurses to come to the table for further discussions on the way forward, as lives are at risk due to their continuous strike.
Intervening measures
The Health Minister has announced that some immediate measures being taken to fill in the gap will include an announcement of a list of additional health facilities that patients can visit for healthcare.
He also announced plans by the government to engage some retired nurses and midwives to step in until the issues with the striking nurses are resolved.
GRNMA’s determination
Meanwhile, the General Secretary of the GRNMA, David Tekorang, firmly stated that the agreed conditions of service between the union and the government must be implemented this year, rejecting the government’s request to delay until 2026.
He told JoyNews yesterday that the Association is ready to sit with the government, not for further negotiation but implementation, even if it is gradual.
“If you tell me you are deferring the entire payment of the condition of services until 2026, what is that supposed to be? It is unfair.”
By: Paul Awuni
