The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has firmly rejected the government’s proposal that offered only two out of four key demands, describing the offer as “an insult” and warning that any further disregard could escalate tensions between the state and health workers.
Speaking ahead of a crucial meeting with the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, General Secretary of the Association, Dr. David Tenkorang-Twum, noted that nurses and midwives are disappointed in the posture of the government and feel deeply disrespected.
“We rejected the proposal, let me make it clear. We did not agree to those two things. How can we agree on those insults? We have compromised enough as leaders of GRNMA. We feel very insulted. We think that they are treating us with a lot of disdain”
Dr. David Tenkorang-Twum, General Secretary of GRNMA
According to GRNMA, the association entered negotiations in good faith and strategically prioritized the first four of eight long-standing demands. However, the government offered only two of the four, which the association has rejected outright.
Dr. Tenkorang-Twum criticized media reports that suggested an agreement had been reached, stating that such narratives misrepresent the association’s position. He also stressed that the government’s approach shows a lack of appreciation for the role nurses and midwives play.
“They shouldn’t delude themselves. They don’t know the worth of a nurse,” he said. He recounted international interest in Ghanaian nurses, revealing that countries like Finland and Ireland have shown willingness to engage in bilateral recruitment agreements with the association.
He also noted that many nursing students in Ghana fund their own very expensive education only to graduate and be undervalued by the system. “Ghanaians don’t even know that we have fee-paying students. At the University of Ghana School of Nursing, 70 percent of students are fee-paying,” he added.
Frozen Benefits
At the heart of the dispute is the issue of the market premium, which was consolidated into basic pay structures but later frozen. Originally, the lowest-level nurse received 58 percent of their basic salary as market premium. This has now eroded to just 13 percent.
“Those who had 75 percent are now at about 17.5 percent. Those who had about 100 percent are now at about 18 percent,” Dr. Tenkorang-Twum lamented, comparing these figures to other healthcare workers who still enjoy 80 to 90 percent.
The shrinking value of their compensation reflects poorly on the government, which clearly hasn’t taken into consideration the very dangerous conditions some of these workers endure to deliver their services to those who need it most in the country or how low they sometimes descend to economically survive.
“Some nurses are into galamsey because of poor conditions of service. We buried a promising young man in the Volta Region who fell into a galamsey pit. He was performing an immunization exercise in the Western Region”
Dr. David Tenkorang-Twum, General Secretary of GRNMA
The association also raised concerns about the financial burdens nurses and midwives face when they fall ill, especially from job-related illnesses.
“We who are in the health sector delivering healthcare services within an infection-laden environment still have to cough out money from our own pockets. Anything that falls outside the remit of health insurance, you are supposed to pay – even when the sickness is occupationally related”
Dr. David Tenkorang-Twum, General Secretary of GRNMA
Despite calls for compromise, Dr. Tenkorang-Twum made it clear that GRNMA has reached its limit. “We are going there with open hearts,” he said of the upcoming meeting, “but we will not accept just two out of four. That is unacceptable.”
He emphasized that the government must respond with sincerity, as the association has already demonstrated flexibility by not insisting on all eight original demands being met immediately.
With frustrations mounting, the GRNMA insists that the government must prioritize the well-being of health workers or risk a collapse of goodwill in the health sector. “The ball is in their court,” Dr. Tenkorang-Twum said.
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