The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has attributed its decision to suspend its strike action to the intervention of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health.
According to Joseph Krampah, the Association’s National Public Relations Officer, the Committee’s fruitful engagement provided them with a certain level of assurance.
Speaking on Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5FM, Krampah explained that the strike was initiated due to the Health Minister’s failure to fulfill assurances regarding the nurses’ Conditions of Service in the 2025 budget.
The Minister had assured them that their concerns would be addressed in the budget, but subsequently announced that their concerns could not be captured due to potential economic implications.
Mr Krampah stated, ‘We felt deceived by the Minister… The best approach would have been to inform us of the government’s limitations rather than providing false assurances.’
However, following the Parliamentary Select Committee’s intervention, the Association has suspended its strike, appreciating the Committee’s understanding and wisdom.
Mr Krampah also expressed disappointment at the verbal insults directed at nurses, including derogatory descriptions by some journalists.
He noted that the Committee has acknowledged the legitimacy of their concerns and taken steps to address them, providing a roadmap for future progress.
Mr. Krampah said, ”We felt deceived by the Minister. He had confirmed to us that the Conditions of Service would be factored into the 2025 budget. During his vetting, we delegated some leaders to go and support him, and he gave us assurance that our concerns would be addressed in the budget. After we raised concerns and wondered why that was not done, we felt rather deceived. The best approach would have been to tell us the truth and inform us that the government could not factor this into the budget this year or that we could not get everything at once, instead of lying to us. It sounds as if we were the ones being insensitive.
However, the Parliamentary Select Committee has intervened, and we appreciate their level of understanding. The wisdom with which they spoke to us was admirable, so we have suspended the strike. They have realised that we have genuine concerns and have taken steps to address them. Even if we don’t get everything we asked for at the moment, we know there would be a roadmap for the best way forward.”
By: Rainbowradioonline.com/Ghana