Parliament’s Health Committee to meet GRNMA today over strike

The Health Committee of Parliament is expected to meet today, Thursday, June 12, with the leadership of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) in a crucial effort to resolve the ongoing strike by nurses and midwives across the country.

The industrial action, which has disrupted healthcare delivery nationwide, stems from stalled negotiations over the revised conditions of service for GRNMA members.

Government has disclosed that fully implementing the proposed adjustments would add over GHS 2 billion to the national compensation budget—a figure they say is unsustainable given Ghana’s current fiscal constraints.

Deputy Finance Minister, Thomas Nyarko Ampem, addressing the media, noted that fulfilling the association’s demands in full could significantly strain the national budget.

According to him, it threatens the country’s economic recovery efforts, which are already under pressure due to debt restructuring and fiscal consolidation targets.

However, the GRNMA has firmly rejected the government’s suggestion to defer implementation of the new conditions of service until 2026.

The association argues that its members are being treated unfairly, especially when other public sector unions have had their demands met more swiftly.

An emergency meeting on Monday, June 9, involving GRNMA executives, the Ministry of Health, and other stakeholders failed to yield any consensus, further escalating tensions and compounding challenges at already overstretched health facilities.

Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, in a press briefing on Tuesday, June 10, admitted the strike is exerting immense pressure on the healthcare system and called on the nurses for renegotiation.

He called on retired nurses and midwives to step in temporarily to mitigate the impact of the walkout on essential services.