Source mybrytfmonline
Health Ghana
Patients Call on Gov't to Urgently Resolve Impasse with Striking Nurses as Healthcare Services Cripple in the Eastern Region
In the Eastern Regional Hospital in Koforidua, Patients are calling on the government to urgently resolve its impasse with striking nurses to save lives and restore full healthcare services.
The Eye and Ear Clinic at the Eastern Regional Hospital, for instance, has been temporarily shut down due to the strike by the nurses.
The unit is locked with no staff at post as of 10:00 am Monday morning, leaving patients stranded.
At the hospital’s Outpatient Department and other units, many patients were left stranded, as only a handful of rotational nurses were on duty.
The nationwide strike declared by the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association, GRNMA, entered a week today, leaving healthcare delivery severely disrupted.
The GRNMA declared the industrial action over the government’s failure to implement their 2024 Collective Agreement — which includes a 13th-month salary, fuel and medical allowances, rural incentives, uniform provision, and license renewal support.
The National Labour Commission on Tuesday, June 4, expressed strong disapproval of the strike, summoning GRNMA leadership for talks — but the association insists it will continue its phased withdrawal of services, with a full-scale shutdown slated for June 9.
New Juaben South Secretary for GRNMA, Abraham Achire, said members of the association are not happy to embark on this strike action knowing the consequences, which could also affect them.
He, however, stated that this decision is necessary to push for better conditions that will encourage nurses to stay and work in Ghana rather than migrate.
