Dr Kwaku Asante-Krobea, the immediate past President of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has told the Minister of Health, Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh retired nurses and midwives are not going to volunteer.
According to Dr Kwaku Asante-Krobea, it saddens his heart that the Minister is mobilising retired nurses and midwives to come and hold the fort.
He asserted that it is a dangerous move to make and a measure of futility.
Speaking on TV3’s News360 Dr Krobea stated, “It saddens my heart that the Minister is mobilising retired nurses and midwives to come and hold the fort. It is a dangerous move to make. It is a measure in futility, because the Minister should know that the retired nurses and midwives will not come. Because they are life members of the Association and the Association takes care of them”.
“And the other side is that, the Minister should not deceive Ghanaians. Does he know where they are? How many of them can he mobilise? and if a small number comes, are they able to stand in for the critical nurses in all the various intensive care units in the various hospitals to support the surgeons in doing operations?” the former GRNMA President asked.
“So, the Minister, if he is listening to me, I am letting him know that he is not going to succeed in getting the retired nurses and midwives to come. I am telling you emphatically that they are not going to come. The fact that people are losing their lives and the conditions of people who come to the hospitals are worsening is not in doubt, and we have to blame the Minister,” Dr Krobea asserted.
He added, “I am happy that at this point in time, we are all agreeing that the withdrawal of services by nurses and midwives is consequential to breakdown of negotiations. And so it is important for the Minister of Health to understand the fact that it is incumbent on him to do the bidding of the nurses and midwives so that we can move forward in arriving at an amicable solution for this problem.”
His comment comes after Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, the Minister of Health told the striking Ghana Registered Nurses’ and Midwives’ Association if their demands are implemented immediately will throw the economy off-gear.
The Health Minister stated, “The conditions of service under reference are not captured in the 2025 budget and will completely throw the economy off-gear if implemented immediately in the manner it currently exists”.
Mintah Akandoh further called on retired nurses and midwives to temporarily return to service.
He added, “Given the urgency of the situation and the suffering of patients, the government is appealing to public-spirited retired nurses and midwives to volunteer their service for a brief period pending the resolution of the impasse”.
“Government remains committed to continuing dialogue with the nurses to reach a mutually acceptable outcome in the interest of public health,” he assured.
