The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwifery Association (GRNMA) has threatened to take certain actions should government refuse to provide its members at peripheral health facilities protective suites.

Speaking on The Pulse programme on Joy News, the Association’s General Secretary, David Tenkorang-Twum stressed that nurses and midwives across the country need to be protected in order to save citizens from the novel coronavirus.

“We did not swear any oath to protect the lives of people at the peril of our lives. We are prepared to fight this infection [Covid-19], but not at the expense of our lives, that must be made clear.

“That is why we are asking government to do whatever it takes to provide our people the necessary logistics that they [nurses and midwives] require to provide their services,” he stated.

Mr Tenkorang-Twum revealed earlier that 87 of nurses and midwives have so far tested positive for Covid-19 across the country with eight recoveries and one death.

He further added that, 312 nurses and midwives are currently under mandatory quarantine after being exposed to the virus.

The General Secretary further noted that the steady increase of infection amongst nurses and midwives especially in peripheral health centres threatens Ghana’s chance to defeat the virus.

“We will continue to dialogue with government, but they need to listen to us, because majority of health workers that have been infected are nurses and midwives and we did not come here to see to the demise of nurses and midwives,” he was categorical.

Mr Tenkorang-Twum also warned management of healthcare facilities who gag nurses and midwives from complaining about lack of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs).

According to him, the life of a health worker is more important than the image of any healthcare facility.

“We want to sign a note of caution, to any management to any health facility who will dare gag any nurse or midwives.

“Gone are the days that rights of nurses and midwives could just be trampled on, we are not going to allow it to persist,” he cautioned.