Political scientist Dr. Kwame Asah-Asante has urged the government to initiate dialogue with the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) in an effort to resolve the ongoing nationwide strike by its members.
Speaking on Morning Starr with Naa Dedei Tettey on Thursday, June 12, Dr. Asah-Asante acknowledged the economic challenges facing the country.
He agreed that meeting all of GRNMA’s demands, estimated to cost GH₵2 billion—could strain the national budget.
However, Dr. Asah-Asante emphasized that the solution lies in phased negotiation rather than postponement.
“The GH₵2 billion that they said they will not be able to pay, I understand that. But you see, what is the way out? Call them. ‘Now look, we are confronted with this situation.
We have very little fiscal space. For that matter, we want to make a friendly overchecks to you, that we’ll be able to pay maybe one item out of the lot this year, and stagger the rest as we move along’. Would this thing hurt?”
He criticized the government’s approach of deferring the matter entirely to 2026, describing it as “unfair” and “unfortunate.”
He stressed, “But if you say that we did not include it because you’ve thrown the budget away, come on, that’s unfair, government must know this. Just pick an item that affects everybody and you say, I am paying this. Jaw, jaw, over it and you come to a compromise. Is it too difficult? Is it fatal? No. But when you ignore, because you think, you can use what, your position to deny them that, then it’s unfortunate. And that is why people work in public service with pain. This thing should stop.”
Dr. Asah-Asante also condemned the apparent lack of engagement with health workers, stating it contributes to frustration and demoralization among public servants.
“Government should always learn process of dialogue, because government is nothing but dialogue, continuous dialogue. Dialogue with people, it doesn’t matter the problem. Get people to sit down. You will get to a compromise somewhere. This eluded the government and for me, that is no, no. I expect government to do something better,” he concluded.
The strike, which began after months of delay in the implementation of the 2024 collective agreement, has disrupted healthcare delivery across the country. It has also drawn the attention of Parliament, the National Labour Commission (NLC), and various civil society groups.
In response to the strike, the government has asked the GRNMA to exercise patience, indicating that their demands were not factored into the 2025 budget and could only be addressed in the 2026 financial year.
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/Hamdia Mohammed
