The Vice President of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), Samuel Alagkora Akologo, has called on the public to hold government accountable should any lives be lost amid the ongoing nationwide strike by nurses and midwives.

His remarks followed a high-level meeting between the Ministry of Health and the association, which ended inconclusively.

The emergency meeting, held on Monday, 9 June, was convened behind closed doors and included GRNMA executives and key health sector stakeholders.

It was aimed at resolving the standoff and negotiating the implementation of the agreed-upon conditions of service.

However, the talks reached a deadlock, with government citing budgetary limitations as justification for its inability to meet the demands.

As a result, officials proposed deferring the implementation of the association’s 2024 Collective Agreement to 2026 — a proposal GRNMA has strongly rejected.

Speaking in an interview with Citi FM after the meeting, Mr Akologo expressed deep dissatisfaction, accusing government of downplaying the welfare of health workers. He stressed that the current crisis affirms the association’s long-standing concerns.

“…Give us the best care and we can also give the best care and service to the people of Ghana. If we should lose a single life because of this agitation, it is the employers who should be held responsible, because what they are saying is that the health of Ghanaians is not important,” he stated.

Mr Akologo further criticised the government for treating nurses and midwives with disregard, adding that the meeting confirmed the fears that the agreed terms would not be implemented.

“The employers of the health workers are treating us like people who do not even matter. When we started the process, people were lambasting us and saying that we should exercise patience.

"Today’s meeting has reaffirmed our earlier position that the employers do not intend to implement our conditions of service. We have been vindicated,” he concluded.