The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has cautioned government, noting it would go on a nationwide strike if plans to dismiss over 5,000 newly recruited nurses and midwives were not ceased.

Perpetual Ofori Ampofo, President of GRNMA, made this known to 3news’ Labour Affairs Correspondent, Daniel Opoku, on February 14 in Accra.

Madam Ampofo said government’s directive was a direct attack on healthcare delivery, asserting GRNMA members would not look on unconcerned as their colleagues were mistreated.

The Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, recently instructed state institutions to revoke the appointments of employees recruited after the December 7, 2024, elections if their names were not on the Controller and Accountant-General’s payroll as of January 2025.

The directive has caused widespread concerns, especially among health professionals.

Madam Ampofo noted affected nurses and midwives belonged to the 2020 and 2021 training batches, and their sack would bear heavy human resource implications for a healthcare system which was already under-resourced

She cautioned, “There is a lot of tension in our fraternity. If they go ahead with this, we will have no choice but to stand in solidarity with our colleagues. And solidarity means that if you ask them to stay at home, we will all stay at home.”

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has further inflamed tensions by instructing heads of institutions to begin implementing the dismissals before investigations into their recruitment are even conducted.

She condemned the Ghana Health Service (GHS) instructing heads of institutions to commence implementation of Mr Debrah’s directive, calling it unfair and unjustified.

“We are dealing with a healthcare system already under immense pressure. Units and departments are not meeting the ideal nurse-to-patient ratios. On top of that, we are losing professionals to high-income countries. Now, if we have successfully recruited nurses and midwives to bridge the gap, why suspend them? Why not investigate while they continue working?” she advocated.

The GRNMA has called on the Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, to immediately intervene to avert a healthcare crisis, noting their leadership had a February 13 meeting with the Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, tabling deep concerns, making the ordered dismissals shocking and unacceptable.

“We need clarity and fairness. We cannot allow this to happen,” Madam Ampofo emphasised.