Health Minister Mintah Akandoh has revealed that government will not be able to meet the conditions of service for the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), currently on strike, this year.

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Engaging the press today, 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."

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"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.

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Mintah Akandoh, however, assured of the government's readiness to further engage with the GRNMA to implement the conditions of service in a manner that does not dislocate the national budget.

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"Government commits to continue to engage with the nurses to achieve a mutually acceptable outcome in the interest of the public," he said.

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This news was broken to the GRNMA at a closed-door meeting on Monday, June 9, and the association's vice president, Samuel Alagkora Akologo, expressed his displeasure.

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He noted that such a proposal is unfair, as it will rob the striking nurses of what was due them.

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“And what they wanted us to agree on was to push the implementation to 2026. What it means is that they wanted to set the conditions of the service calendar so that it will be like we have just renegotiated, and then we are moving on, so that the idea of arrears will not come in. This is not fair,” he said.

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Members of GRNMA on June 2 withdrew from their posts over delays in their 2024 Collective Agreement.

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In response, the National Labour Commission (NLC) filed an ex parte application on Thursday, June 5.

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

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Meanwhile, the GRNMA has disclosed that it is yet to formally receive a court order restraining its ongoing strike.

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Public Relations Officer of the GRNMA, Joseph Krampah, has insisted that the group will continue its strike until an official injunction notice is served.

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According to him, although the association is a law-abiding group, it cannot obey unofficial reports.

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“They think that they should serve us a letter; we can’t prevent them, but what constitutes an illegal strike? When in Ghana has the Labour Commission said that this strike is legal? It is only illegal when they don’t inform your office about the intended strike, and we did—you had the letter,” Krampah said.

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He added: “If you are declaring it as illegal or whatever and you are bringing injunction, that is your job to do, and we respect the court and the NLC very much. We are law-abiding people. But just that things that we have not seen, we cannot act on them. I am saying that we haven’t received any letter. None of the executives have been served any letter about that. So till we know that, aluta continua.”

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To ensure that the general public continues to access quality healthcare, the Health Ministry has instructed all hospital managers, particularly Directors of Nursing Services and their Deputies, to be present at work at all times during the period of the industrial action.

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The ambulance service is expected to remain on standby in every district to support emergencies promptly. Additionally, all health facilities are to establish coordinating structures that can effectively manage emergencies and maintain continuous communication with ambulance services to ensure a swift response when needed.

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Furthermore, the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, along with Chief Executive Officers and Medical Directors of Teaching Hospitals, is required to provide daily reports to the Acting Chief Director on the status of healthcare service delivery within their respective institutions.

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To manage the anticipated surge in patient numbers due to ongoing industrial action, the Ministry of Health has pledged to collaborate with quasi-government health facilities. This partnership aims to ease the pressure on public health institutions and ensure continuous care delivery.

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The ministry has also advised rotational nurses and those currently undergoing mandatory clinical training to refrain from participating in any form of industrial action. Their cooperation is crucial in maintaining essential services during this period.

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Ongoing monitoring of the situation will be conducted by the ministry to ensure that all necessary logistics and resources are made available to mitigate the impact of the strike.

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In public health facilities, nurses have withdrawn their services, leaving many patients stranded.

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