Thirteen thousand five hundred (13,500) nurses have now been placed on the government payroll, according to the Ministry of Health.

This development was made public when the leadership of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) paid a courtesy call on the Health Minister, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, on Wednesday, September 3, 2025.

Members of the Association were there to render an unqualified apology to the Minister for a recent media attack on his person and discussed strategies to strengthen ties between nurses and the government.

Amidst making amends, a statement was shared on the Health Ministry's Facebook page, where Honourable Akandoh highlighted some achievements of the current administration, and noted that "the government has made significant strides, including the integration of 13,500 nurses into the government payroll, the establishment of the Ghana Medical Training Fund (GMTF), and the retooling of various government health facilities."

He also mentioned the payment of arrears on nursing training allowances and National Health Insurance claims, as well as the government's absorption of half of admission fees for nursing training institutions.

The Minister pledged to see to the successful implementation of the collective bargaining agreement to improve the Condition of service for nurses and to also support the ongoing transformation of the health sector in line with achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

He urged all stakeholders and the general public to remain calm as government is committed to resolving challenges within the health sector.

During the meeting, the GRNMA leadership raised several concerns affecting healthcare professionals and nurses, calling for urgent attention to enhance service delivery.

The leadership who called on the Hon Minister were the former President, Alice Darkoa Asare-Allotey, Immediate past President; Dr. Krobea Asante, the Current President; Perpetual Ofori Ampofo and the General Secretary; Dr. David Tenkorang-Twum.

Members of GRNMA on June 2 withdrew from their posts over delays in their 2024 Collective Agreement. In response, the National Labour Commission (NLC) filed an ex parte application on Thursday, June 5.

A 10-day injunction was placed on the nationwide strike after the Industrial and Labour Division of the High Court in Accra described the protest as illegal.

The GRNMA disclosed that it was yet to formally receive a court order restraining its ongoing strike. Public Relations Officer of the GRNMA, Joseph Krampah, insisted that the group was proceeding with the strike until an official injunction notice was served.

Health Minister Mintah Akandoh, on the matter, revealed that the government waas unable to meet the conditions of service for the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), currently on strike, this year.

Engaging the press, the sector minister announced that the conditions of service being requested to be implemented were not captured in the 2025 budget statement; hence, it will "completely throw the economy off gear if implemented in the manner it currently exists."

"We are mindful of the serious economic consequences of unbudgeted expenditure and want to avoid the economic slippages that have led to the hardship in the recent past," the Health Minister revealed.

The Minority in Parliament entreated the government to put in the necessary measures to ensure the strike action was called off.

Dr Afriyie Ayew told the government to work towards providing the conditions of service worked on by the previous government.

“It is our belief that governance is a continuous process regardless of which party is in government public servants are paid, collective bargaining rights which are agreed on remain their rights regardless of which government takes over after elections.”

The nationwide strike by the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) took a heavy toll on the delivery of healthcare services, with many lives being lost due to patients being stranded.

The Mortuary Workers Association of Ghana (MOWAG) bemoaned the evident rise in mortality cases amid the ongoing strike by nurses and midwives in the country.

General Secretary of MOWAG, Richard Kofi Jordan, noted that the death rate has increased by approximately 100% to 150% due to nurses not being at post.

“Looking at the [number] of deaths compared to the past and now, the death toll has increased significantly, and it is not surprising because of the impact of the nurse’s absence. On average, where we are to record about 10 a day, we are recording about 20 to 25. This tells you that the absence of our nurses is becoming so severe,” he said.

Making reference to Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, he mentioned that “we know averagely in Korle Bu, you can have about 50 this time. It has risen above that. Other facilities (like) KATH and all that, we are hearing it.”

According to him, the nurses who are no longer at their posts were mitigating the daily death rate across medical facilities in Accra.