GRNMA rejects government’s call for retired nurses to return to work amid strike

The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has rejected the government’s plea for retired nurses and midwives to return to work temporarily as a solution to the ongoing nationwide strike, labelling the proposal as impractical and dismissive of the underlying issues. 

The Health Minister, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, had urged retired health professionals to fill the gap left by striking nurses, but the GRNMA has called for immediate action on their demands instead.

In an interview on Citi Eyewitness News on Tuesday, June 10, 2025, the GRNMA Vice President Samuel Alagkora Akologo described the minister’s suggestion as tone-deaf. “We just feel we are not being treated fairly,” he said, highlighting the dire circumstances faced by retired nurses. “What he said — that they have asked retired nurses and midwives to come and support…They are battling with cardiovascular diseases, [metabolic] chemical diseases, which they are using their meagre pension money to take care of.”

Mr Akologo argued that retired nurses, many of whom left the profession early due to poor working conditions, are neither physically nor financially equipped to handle the demands of active service. 

“So to say you are calling on retired nurses to come and work — the solution to the problem is: we’ve made a proposal. Start the implementation now. At least if there are arrears and you think you cannot pay, you can discuss that one later. But to tell us to wait till next year is not something that we will accept,” he asserted, pressing for the immediate implementation of revised conditions of service.

Questioning the feasibility of the government’s plan, Mr Akologo pointed out the limited number of retired nurses available. 

“How many are the retired nurses? Most of them go home very early. So how many are they? And they are our members… The minister is not even aware of that,” he remarked, exposing a disconnect between the government’s approach and the realities on the ground.

While acknowledging that some retirees might volunteer to assist during the crisis, Mr Akologo stressed that such efforts would be a temporary bandage on a systemic wound. 

“We have no problem if they decide to come and assist — after all, we are also not happy with the situation in the country. So if they come and they are able to deal with the dying emergencies, it is fine with everybody. But it is not the solution to the problem. How long can they go?” he questioned.