Ghana’s nationwide nurses and midwives strike has intensified after negotiations between the government and the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) broke down on Wednesday, sending health services across the country into crisis.
The strike, which began on June 2, has attracted about 85% of nurses and midwives nationwide. The union is demanding full implementation of a May 2024 agreement with the government that promises a range of benefits, including a one-month salary bonus, fuel and medical benefits, rural service incentives and support for professional licence renewals.
But officials say financial provisions for these commitments have not been included in the 2025 national budget. A meeting aimed at resolving the impasse ended in a stalemate, prompting the union to press ahead with its strike.
Hospitals and clinics across Ghana are reporting acute staff shortages amid growing concerns about the impact on patient care. At Accra’s 1,600-bed Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, morgue workers reported a rise in preventable deaths, with local media reporting up to 25 deaths a day.
One Accra resident, Agyarkor Kesse, talked about her loss, saying her 18-year-old son died on Tuesday after being denied medical attention due to the strike. “We went to Kpone public hospital but were told the nurses were on strike. We were helpless,” she said.
GRNMA Secretary-General David Tenkorang-Twum defended the strike and said the union’s demands were reasonable. “Our demands are not excessive. The government can meet them without delay,” he said.
Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh called for urgent action and called for retired nurses and midwives to volunteer on a temporary basis to help ease the crisis.
Meanwhile, Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Nyarko Ampem warned on Tuesday that meeting the union’s demands would cost two billion Ghanaian cedis (about $194 million), potentially undermining the country’s financial recovery efforts.
With no solution in sight, the ongoing strike continues to put enormous pressure on Ghana’s already strained health system.