The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has reaffirmed its willingness to engage in dialogue with the Ministry of Health.
However, it categorically ruled out any renegotiation of terms already agreed upon in its 2024 Collective Agreement.
The declaration comes amid a nationwide strike by nurses and midwives that began on June 4, 2025. The industrial action was triggered by what the GRNMA describes as the government’s persistent failure to implement provisions in the agreement, including critical allowances, incentives, and improved working conditions.
In response to the escalating strike, newly appointed Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh called for constructive dialogue to resolve the impasse, urging all parties to return to the discussion table.
However, speaking on Citi FM on Monday, June 9, GRNMA Greater Accra Regional Chairman Jefferson Asare pushed back against any notion of renegotiation.
“We are ready to meet. If we receive a letter now, we will move anywhere they want us to go. But for renegotiation, we are not ready,” Mr. Asare said.
He emphasized that the association remains open to discussions on how to implement the agreed terms, not to rehash matters that have already been finalized. Asare further highlighted a growing sense of inequity within the health sector, noting that nurses and midwives are the only group whose conditions of service remain unfulfilled.
“In the health ecosystem, it is not only nurses who have problems with the conditions of service. But we are the only group whose conditions of service have not been implemented,” he stated.
The ongoing strike has significantly disrupted healthcare delivery across the country, with outpatient and emergency services at many public facilities affected. Stakeholders, including civil society organizations and patient advocacy groups, have called for a swift and fair resolution.
GRNMA insists that the government must act in good faith by fulfilling its contractual obligations rather than attempting to revisit settled issues.