COVID 19: GHS appeals to striking nurses to go back to work

The Director General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Patrick Kuma Aboagye has appealed to striking nurses to call off their strike for the sake of the country’s fight against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

Underscoring the important role nurses play in health delivery, Dr Aboagye said the country was on the verge of winning the war against the disease and therefore could not afford their absence.

Speaking in a radio interview on Accra-based, Starr FM, he urged the nurses to put the interest of the nation above their personal interest and return to work to help curtail the spread of the virus in Ghana.

“I am appealing to the nurses to look at the situation with COVID and come back to work to negotiate. Let’s put the nation’s health first. Come back to work and I believe that the discussions will continue”, he said.

Ghana has so far recorded 46, 062 Covid-19 cases with 45,258 recoveries, 507 active cases and 297 deaths.

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Background

The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) on Monday, September 21, laid down their tools in demand of better conditions of service despite a court injunction obtained by the National Labour Commission (NLC).

According to the GRNMA, the government’s stance during negotiations fell foul of Act 651 of the Labour Law, which deals with issues of good faith for stakeholders, with which the association appears to have an issue.