- The nurses' strike, which began June 4, has disrupted services in over 300 hospitals across Ghana
- Asiedu criticizes the government for failing to implement a concluded deal
- He emphasizes that patriotism cannot replace fair compensation for healthcare workers
Kwame Sarpong Asiedu, Public Health Fellow at CDD-Ghana, has stated there is no valid reason to reopen negotiations on the already concluded agreement between the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) and the government.
He emphasized that what is needed now is calm, constructive dialogue to resolve the impasse created by the nationwide strike, which has crippled critical healthcare services across the country.
The GRNMA declared the strike on Tuesday, June 4, citing delays in implementing the 2024 Collective Agreement, which addresses salary and working condition concerns. The strike has disrupted services in over 300 public health facilities across all 16 regions of Ghana.
Speaking on JoyFM’s Super Morning Show, Mr. Asiedu criticized the government’s handling of the situation and said the matter at hand is implementation—not renegotiation.
“The negotiations are over. There’s no justification for reopening talks. What’s left is clear, practical discussion on how to roll out the agreement.”
He reflected on the broader challenges facing Ghana’s health sector, asking:
“What health system do we want, versus the one we currently have? Are we creating the conditions for the system we aspire to?”
Asiedu also recalled that the original negotiations began amid a spike in professional migration among health workers, primarily driven by poor remuneration. He dismissed the argument that nurses lacked patriotism:
“Patriotism doesn’t pay school fees, buy groceries, or keep the lights on. Nurses have real, daily financial needs—loyalty doesn’t cover those costs.”
He questioned why the finalised agreement was omitted from the national budget:
“The agreement was concluded—so why wasn’t it budgeted for? Was it overlooked during the political transition? These are questions we must ask.”
Even if the government finds the estimated cost—around GHS 2 billion—too high to cover in full immediately, he argued that transparent, phased implementation could have prevented the current crisis:
“If government had come forward early and said it couldn’t absorb the full cost but was willing to stagger payments with clear timelines, we might have avoided this strike altogether.”
Asiedu described the situation as a result of long-standing neglect of Ghana’s health workforce:
“This crisis highlights a chronic failure in health human resource planning. The current agreement is meant to correct years of underinvestment, and while it may stretch the budget, nurses must not be denied what is rightfully theirs.”
He urged both the government and GRNMA to approach the crisis with restraint:
“Cool heads must prevail. We cannot afford to let this cripple our health system any further. But we also cannot bankrupt the economy—economic collapse will hurt everyone, including the nurses.”
In closing, Asiedu advised that pushing implementation to 2026, as reportedly proposed by the government, is not acceptable:
“If government truly intends to delay implementation until 2026, that must be reconsidered. A phased rollout beginning this year would show good faith and help restore trust.”
