The government's efforts to mitigate the effects of the strike action embarked on by the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) have hit a snag as Greater Accra Regional Hospital authorities reveal major concerns.

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

However, Medical Director of the Greater Accra Regional Hospital, Dr. Leslie Issah Adam-Zakaria, has revealed rotational nurses cannot be effective in this situation due to lack of supervision.

According to Dr Adam-Zakaria, doctors that would have monitored the work of these rotational nurses are currently undertaking some work that would have been done by nurses.

the extent of the disruption caused by the strike action of nurses belonging to the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA).

“The challenge we are facing is that doctors have to do some of the work of the nurses. We don’t have rotation nurses supporting us because they cannot work unsupervised, so they are not available,” he said in an interview with JoyNews on June 5.

He further explained that “the rotation nurses are like national service people who are supposed to work under supervision. If we bring them alone here, it means they are going to work without supervision because their bosses are on strike. So unfortunately for us, they are uncomfortable working unsupervised.”

Several departments in the hospital currently do not have nurses at post.

“Presently, we don’t have nurses at the various OPDs, we don’t have nurses at post. The emergency unit is in various parts, the part that receives new patients, we don’t have the nurses at post."

"The theatres where we perform emergency procedures, we don’t have nurses at post. The antenatal clinics where we attend to pregnant women, we don’t have midwives at post. And the labour wards where pregnant women come when they are about to deliver, we don’t have nurses at post,” he said.

According to him, the hospital is "under pressure," and he is hopeful that "things get better.”

GRNMA embarked on a strike action on Monday June 2, to demand payment of their outstanding allowances following unsuccessful discussions with the ministry

"We negotiated our conditions of service. It was signed, sealed, and delivered, but it is not seeing implementation...and all that we are asking the Ministry of Finance is to approve the signed commission of service for implementation," President of the GRNMA, Dr David Tenkorang Twum, told the media.

In response, the Ministry of Health on May 30th, met all Associations in the nursing fraternity, including the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), Union of Professional Nurses and Midwives (UPNMG), Ghana Registered Midwives Association (GRMA), National Association of Registered Midwives (NARM-G), Psychiatric Nurses Association, Ghana (PAPNG) and the Nurses and Midwives Educators Society.

During the meeting, all parties except the GRNMA accepted the sector minister's proposal for a three (3) member team with a representation each from the Nurses group, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Health to see to the finality of the matter.

GNRMA members have withdrawn from their posts, but 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.

Also, the ambulance service is expected to remain on standby in every district to support emergency situations 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.

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.

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.

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.

The Ministry of Health has expressed its appreciation to the nurses and midwives who have chosen not to engage in the industrial action while appealing to the leadership of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) to reconsider their stance in the interest of public health and service continuity.

However, the GRNMA remains resolute in its decision to intensify the strike with plans to withdraw both outpatient and emergency services across the country.