Negotiations aimed at ending a nationwide strike by nurses in Ghana collapsed Wednesday, leading the union to continue its stoppage and disrupt medical services.
Approximately 85 percent of all nurses and midwives across Ghana, members of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), joined the strike on June 2.
Despite government efforts, talks reached a new impasse when a scheduled truce meeting fell apart.
The nurses are demanding the full implementation of an agreement from May last year.
This agreement included an annual bonus equivalent to a month’s salary, fuel and medical allowances, rural posting incentives, and support for license renewal.
However, officials stated these demands were not included in the 2025 budget.
Hospitals nationwide are already experiencing significant impact from the strike.
Local media reported mortuary workers at Accra’s Korle Bu Teaching Hospital noted an increase in preventable deaths, with up to 25 daily fatalities.
An Accra resident told AFP his 18-year-old son died after hospitals refused care due to the strike.
GRNMA general secretary David Tenkorang-Twum defended the strike, stating their demands “can be met without delay.”
Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh promised swift government action and appealed for retired nurses and midwives to volunteer.
Conversely, Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Nyarko Ampem stated fulfilling the demands would cost over two billion cedis ($194.1 million), potentially destabilizing fiscal recovery.
