Blog Right Sidebar

‘Over GH¢2bn cost too high’ – Gov’t defends delay to implement nurses’ deal

Government spokesperson Felix Kwakye Ofosu says the state simply cannot afford the estimated ¢2 billion annual cost of implementing the new conditions of service demanded by the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA).

The Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese MP insists that such a fiscal burden would derail the national budget.

Speaking on PM Express on Tuesday, June 10, he justified government’s controversial request to defer the implementation until 2026, a proposal the GRNMA has flatly rejected.

Nurses across the country have been on strike since Monday, June 9, following the breakdown of emergency talks with the Health Ministry.

“There are estimates, including one by the Deputy Finance Minister, that peg the cost at GH¢2 billion annually. I’ve seen some that are even higher,” Kwakye Ofosu said. “

The question is whether the national budget can absorb it. Especially when other categories of public sector workers also have needs.”

He argued that while the state respects the contribution of nurses and midwives, government must act responsibly to avoid pushing the country back into unsustainable debt and deficits.

“Ultimately, as the venerable Alhaji ABA Fuseini would say, you need a head before you can chew corn,” he noted. “We need a functioning economy, well-oiled, with the resources to meet demands like these.”

Kwakye Ofosu rejected the idea that government is turning its back on commitments made by the previous administration. Instead, he described the situation as a necessary re-evaluation.

“Government is a continuum, yes. But there’s a reason why governments change. Governance must be conducted responsibly. If there’s a difficulty arising out of an action by a previous administration, you have a duty to take corrective measures.”

When host Evans Mensah pressed him on why the commitment was not budgeted for despite being part of the transition process, Kwakye Ofosu replied, “You don’t put it in a budget just because you inherited it.

“Many things were in the pipeline, but when we assessed them, we found they would do more harm than good.”

He was emphatic about the implications of acting without budgetary room.

“You can’t place ₵2 billion in unbudgeted expenditure on yourself. You will record a deficit. That’s how we ended up with pervasive hardship and fiscal slippages in the past.”

Despite the standoff, he said the door remains open for dialogue.

“We cannot take unilateral decisions. We must engage our social partners—in this case, the nurses. We retain hope they will return to the table.”

Mr Kwakye Ofosu stressed that backroom negotiations are ongoing.

“We are engaged in efforts behind the scenes to resolve the impasse as quickly as possible, so nurses can return to post and deliver the essential services they are known for.”

In the meantime, he pointed to government contingency plans to protect patients.

“The Health Minister has announced alternative health facilities—both private and public—where patients can receive care. These facilities are staffed by nurses who are not part of the strike.”

He urged the GRNMA to consider the broader national picture.

“We need a mutually beneficial solution—one that satisfies nurses but also preserves Ghana’s economic stability. That is what responsible governance requires.”

Nurses’ strike: Gov’t won’t honour commitments that threaten fiscal stability – Kwakye Ofosu

The government will not honour any financial commitments, including those made by the previous administration, if doing so would threaten the fragile economic recovery, according to Felix Kwakye Ofosu, a spokesperson for the government.

Speaking on PM Express on JoyNews, Abura-Asebu-Kwamankese MP addressed the ongoing nationwide strike by members of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA).

He stated that although government respects their role, “you cannot spend what you don’t have.”

“We took over power, looked at the condition of service, and the Finance Ministry came to the view that the quantum of resources required to meet those conditions would create some difficulty for the national budget,” he said.

“So there was a need for further engagement,” he added.

He said the government had asked the GRNMA to accept a revised timeline, deferring the implementation of their conditions of service until 2026, a proposal the association has flatly rejected.

“The truth is, it is not in the 2025 budget,” he stressed. “To proceed with it would mean taking on an unbudgeted expenditure. That is a major risk we are not willing to take.”

According to Mr. Kwakye Ofosu, the estimated cost of the nurses’ demands is over GH¢2 billion annually, an amount he said government simply cannot absorb without creating a destabilising fiscal deficit.

“You don’t put something in the budget just because you’ve met it,” he said in response to questions about why the commitment, though part of the transition notes, was not reflected in the current financial plan.

“There are many things we inherited that we couldn’t continue because they were done irresponsibly.”

The MP emphasised that government is a continuum but not a blind executor of past decisions. “Governments change for a reason,” he said. “Where we see difficulty arising from a decision, we must correct course.”

He maintained that the government still hoped to engage the nurses and reach a new agreement that meets their expectations “to a significant extent” without compromising economic stability.

“We cannot take unilateral decisions,” he noted. “We need to engage our social partners. We still retain hope that the nurses will return to the negotiation table.”

On the impact of the strike, Mr. Kwakye Ofosu acknowledged the disruption and said measures were being taken to minimise patient risk.

He revealed that the Health Minister had directed patients to alternative health facilities not affected by the strike.

“These include private institutions and public facilities whose staff are not part of the industrial action,” he said.

The GRNMA’s strike followed a failed emergency meeting with the Ministry of Health on June 9.

The association has refused to accept government’s request to delay the enforcement of the agreed-upon conditions of service.

But Kwakye Ofosu defended the government’s position, warning against what he called “reckless financial decisions” that could undo years of economic correction.

“We all saw what happened when government after government racked up unbudgeted expenditures,” he said. “That’s how we ended up with the debt and the hardship. We can’t go back there.”

In his final remarks, the MP repeated the government’s stance: “We will not implement conditions of service that will throw the budget out of gear. We owe it to Ghanaians to be fiscally responsible.”

‘This is a new administration’ – Dr Pelpuo urges nurses to reconsider strike tactics

Labour Minister Dr. Rashid Pelpuo is calling on the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) to reconsider their ongoing nationwide strike.

The Wa Central MP urged them to recognise that the current leadership represents a new administration that deserves a chance to engage.

“Well, we are more than shocked. We are disturbed. We are worried that they could go into a decision of a strike without much talk with us,” Dr. Pelpuo said on PM Express.

“Because I believe very strongly that if they started what they said they started a year ago or two years ago, this is a new administration.”

Read also: Nurses’ strike continues as Health Ministry fails to reach agreement with GRNMA

The Minister said he believes the government is committed to rebuilding confidence and trust with labour groups, including nurses and midwives.

“We are doing everything we can to ensure we have a stable economy. We have a stable society. We work with workers to get their full support for how we can run this country,” he stated.

The nurses began their strike on Monday, following a breakdown in negotiations with the Ministry of Health.

At the heart of the standoff is the government’s request to postpone implementation of the new conditions of service until 2026, a demand the GRNMA has outrightly rejected.

Dr. Pelpuo revealed that he was not given the opportunity to meet the association ahead of the industrial action.

“I had a chat with the president of the Nurses and Midwives Association, and I was complaining that they did not have the chance, the opportunity. They did not create the opportunity for me to have an interaction with them before the strike,” he said.

He added that such prior engagement could have led to a different outcome.

“I informed her that I wish we had had some conversation after she had had those kinds of conversations with other sector ministers or other stakeholders.”

Though the strike remains unresolved, the Labour Minister is calling for reflection and restraint from the GRNMA.

Dr Rashid Pelpuo said government is willing to talk, and the doors remain open.

Striking nurses did not create opportunity to talk – Labour Minister tells Joy News

Labour and Employment Minister Dr. Rashid Pelpuo says he is “shocked and disturbed” by the strike action of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA).

The Wa Central MP is accusing the leadership of failing to engage his office before declaring the industrial action.

“We are more than shocked. We are disturbed. We are worried,” Dr. Pelpuo said in response to the ongoing nationwide strike by nurses and midwives.

“They could go into a decision to strike without much talk with us. And you know, by just what they have done…I believe very strongly that if they started what they said they have started a year ago or two years ago—this is a new administration.”

The strike follows a deadlock in an emergency meeting with the Ministry of Health. At the heart of the standoff is government’s request to postpone the implementation of new conditions of service for nurses until 2026.

A request the GRNMA has rejected.

But Dr. Pelpuo says he was never given the chance to engage directly with the Association before the action was declared.

“I had a chat with the president of the Nurses and Midwives Association, and I was complaining that they did not have the chance—the opportunity. They did not create the opportunity for me to have an interaction with them before the strike,” he revealed.

According to him, early dialogue could have averted the crisis.

“I informed her that I wish we had had some conversation after she had had those kinds of conversations with other sector ministers or other stakeholders.”

He stressed that the government is committed to stabilising the economy and improving labour relations, and needs the full support of public sector workers to achieve it.

“We are doing everything we can to ensure we have a stable economy. We have a stable society. We work with workers to get their full support for how we can run this country.”

Read also: Nurses’ strike continues as Health Ministry fails to reach agreement with GRNMA

Despite the strike already underway, Dr. Pelpuo says his doors remain open.

“We’re still ready to talk,” he implied during the interview. But he made clear the frustration at being sidelined before such a critical action was taken.

The GRNMA has said the government’s attempt to defer implementation of their agreed conditions of service is unacceptable.

Monday’s emergency meeting between the Association and the Ministry of Health ended without resolution.

‘We are more than shocked’ – Labour Minister worried over nurses’ strike without consultation

Labour Minister Dr Rashid Pelpuo says government is shocked and worried by the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association’s (GRNMA) decision to embark on a nationwide strike without prior engagement with his office.

“Well, we are more than shocked. We are disturbed. We are worried that they could go into a decision of strike without much talk with us,” he said Monday night on JoyNews’ PM Express.

“For a moment, you hear nurses are going on strike.”

The Wa Central MP said the strike, which has disrupted public healthcare services across the country, came without adequate effort from GRNMA leadership to consult his outfit.

“I had a chat with the president of the nurses and midwives association,” Dr Pelpuo revealed.

Read also: Nurses’ strike continues as Health Ministry fails to reach agreement with GRNMA

“I was complaining that they did not have the chance, the opportunity. They did not create the opportunity for me to have an interaction with them before the strike.”

The nurses and midwives are protesting a government request to postpone implementation of their negotiated conditions of service until 2026—a proposal the GRNMA has flatly rejected.

The Labour Minister, however, believes the association acted too hastily, especially given the current economic conditions and efforts to engage with organised labour across the board.

“I believe very strongly that if they started what they said, they have started a year ago or two years ago, this is a new administration,” he said.

“We are doing everything we can to ensure we have a stable economy. We have a stable society. We work with workers to get their full support for how we can run this country.”

Dr Pelpuo said the strike undermines those efforts.

“I informed her that I wish we had had some conversation after she had had those kinds of conversations with other sector ministers or other stakeholders.”

Despite the impasse, the Minister indicated that government remains open to further dialogue and a peaceful resolution. But he insisted that proper engagement is the only path forward.

WHO extends health emergency for mpox as cases climb in West Africa

The World Health Organisation (WHO) warned on Monday of a rise in mpox infections in West Africa and cautioned that the virus could spread undetected to other regions.

As a result, the public health emergency declared for the disease remains in effect, WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus announced in Geneva, following a recommendation from independent panel of health experts.

Mpox, formerly known as monkeypox, is transmitted through close physical contact. While infections are typically mild, causing fever and a rash, they can be fatal, particularly in young children and people with weakened immune systems.

The WHO declared mpox a Public Health Emergency of International Concern (PHEIC) in August 2024, the UN agency’s highest alert level.

The designation is intended to spur governments into action and mobilize resources. However, the WHO acknowledged “ongoing operational challenges” in surveillance, diagnosis and funding.

Since the start of 2024, more than 37,000 confirmed cases of mpox have been reported across 25 countries, with 125 deaths.

The Democratic Republic of Congo remains the epicentre of the outbreak, accounting for 60% of global cases. Between 2,000 and 3,000 new suspected cases are being reported there each week. Uganda, Burundi and Sierra Leone are also experiencing high case numbers.

Since the WHO last extended the emergency declaration in February, mpox has been reported for the first time in Albania, Ethiopia, Malawi, North Macedonia, South Sudan, Tanzania and Togo.

GRNMA strike: Show nurses respect – Ranking Member, Health Committee tells gov’t

Ranking Member on Parliament’s Health Committee, Dr. Nana Ayew Afriyie, has pointed fingers at the National Labour Commission (NLC) and the Ministry of Finance for the ongoing strike by the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA).

Speaking on JoyFM’s News Night on Monday, June 9, Dr. Afriyie said the NLC failed in its duty to intervene promptly when the GRNMA gave notice of the industrial action, despite nurses being classified under essential services by law.

“You have to blame the Labour Commission because the Act says that these are essential services; they don’t have to go on strike. Before they go on strike, they notified you, and you should attend to their needs within 72 hours,” he said.

• Read also: Nurses’ strike continues as Health Ministry fails to reach agreement with GRNMA

Dr. Afriyie explained that although the Ministry of Health had already approved the conditions of service under the previous administration, the Ministry of Finance has failed to follow through.

“The Ministry of Health is the implementing agency – they are done with them, and they are with the Ministry of Finance. On this occasion, the nurses are saying we reached [an agreement] with the NPP government, and the Ministry of Health approved of this. They took it to the Ministry of Finance, they approved of it, they were going to get Controller to implement it and they took themselves to court.”

He criticised the Finance Ministry for ignoring the nurses for half a year, despite their patience and willingness to engage.

“Why is it that the Minister of Finance has not met them for six months to pick up from where the NPP left off? These nurses have been reasonable for months. Show them some respect,” he said.

• Read also: NLC secures high court injunction to end nurses’ strike

Dr. Afriyie also took issue with the decision by the NLC to resort to the courts rather than resolving the matter through dialogue.

“The issue of taking it to court is not right; that’s not the way to solve this issue. I will ask the nurses to be lenient for the sake of lives,” he added.

Meanwhile, the nurses’ strike has entered a crucial stage and continues to place strain on health facilities nationwide as efforts by the Health Ministry to end the ongoing strike remain unresolved following a failed emergency meeting on Monday, June 9.

The deadlock stems from the government’s request to postpone the implementation of the nurses’ conditions of service until 2026, an offer the GRNMA has outrightly rejected.

Speaking to journalists after the closed-door meeting, GRNMA Vice President Samuel Alagkora Akologo expressed disappointment, revealing that government officials cited budgetary constraints as the reason for the delay.

OSP vs Ofori-Atta: It is difficult to reconcile the letters from Mayo Clinic – Neurosurgeon

A prominent neurosurgeon at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr. Hadi Mohammed, has cast significant doubt on the consistency and necessity of the medical reports circulating regarding former Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta’s prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment at the Mayo Clinic.

Speaking on JoyNews Newsfile on Saturday, June 7, Dr. Mohammed highlighted a critical lack of reconciliation between different medical communications, which raises questions about the justification for Mr Ofori-Atta’s extended absence from Ghana.

Mr Ofori-Atta’s continued stay outside Ghana has resulted in him being declared wanted by the Office of the Special Prosecutor (OSP) and subsequent placement on INTERPOL’s Red Notice over allegations of using public office for private gains while serving as minister under the erstwhile Akufo-Addo government.

Dr. Mohammed specifically pointed to discrepancies in two purported medical letters related to Mr Ofori-Atta’s condition.

“From what I’ve seen circulating on social media, it appears as at March… it was clear that he would be undergoing surgery,” he stated. However, he noted that a subsequent letter indicated Mr Ofori-Atta had to undergo an “MRI-guided biopsy”.

The neurosurgeon found it “very difficult to reconcile the two letters” and the implied chronology of events.

He clarified that biopsies, particularly for prostate cancer, are typically considered “minor surgery” or “day activities”.

“Usually in Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, it’s done on the ward, and the patient goes home the same day. Some even do it in the clinics, you know,” Dr. Mohammed explained. This contrasts sharply with the notion of a major, prolonged surgical procedure implied by the earlier communication.

“The two letters are really difficult to reconcile in terms of the chronology of activities that they had scheduled for him [Mr Ofori-Atta],” Dr. Mohammed reiterated, further questioning why an advanced centre like the Mayo Clinic would delay a crucial tissue biopsy if initial PSA levels were high, given the need to quickly ascertain tumour aggressiveness.

Challenging the perception that Mr Ofori-Atta’s treatment at a prestigious foreign institution like the Mayo Clinic implies a medical situation beyond Ghana’s capacity, Dr. Mohammed delivered a robust defence of local medical expertise.

“Ghana is one of the most advanced in terms of prostate cancer diagnosis and treatment in the sub-region,” he asserted.

He revealed that Ghanaian urologists have successfully treated “high-level government officials in the sub-region across many West African countries and in-country as well, including members of the previous government and members of this government.”

Dr. Mohammed, who has had the opportunity to treat some of these officials for related conditions, dismissed the notion of superior care abroad for prostate cancer.

“I’ve actually looked at what Mayo does, and I don’t think that there’s anything special that they would do for a prostate cancer patient that does not really exist in Ghana or change the prognosis of the patients.”

The neurosurgeon underscored that specialised oncology units capable of administering advanced treatments like chemotherapy and immunotherapy exist in Ghana.

The former Finance Minister’s prolonged stay abroad has been a subject of public scrutiny, particularly in the context of the Office of the Special Prosecutor’s recent re-issuance of a Red Notice for him.