The Coalition of Unpaid Nurses staged a protest in Accra on Thursday, decrying government’s delay in releasing salaries owed to thousands of newly recruited health professionals.
Out of the 13,500 nurses employed several months ago, only 7,000 have been paid, leaving about 6,500 still without any compensation for their work. The nurses, under the banner of the coalition, massed up at the Ministry of Health to demand answers and immediate payment.
The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) called on President John Dramani Mahama to step in and resolve the issue. According to the group, many of the affected nurses have worked for nearly ten months without receiving a salary.
“We are appealing to the President to intervene directly. It has been close to a year since some of us started work, yet we have not been paid,” a spokesperson said.
The group also appealed to the public and the media to help draw national attention to their plight.
As part of the protest, the nurses submitted a petition to the Ministry of Finance. The document was received by Mr. Thomas Apem Darko, who assured them that the matter would be forwarded to Parliament for urgent discussion.
But the nurses expressed frustration over repeated assurances without concrete results. They said the ongoing delay is affecting both their ability to provide effective patient care and to meet their own financial needs.
“The Minister of Health, Honorable Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has also received our petition. He assured us that efforts are underway to release the outstanding funds. We hope this time, they will follow through, and we can return to normalcy,” the spokesperson added.
The coalition further warned that if government fails to act swiftly, they may be forced to escalate their action, though they did not disclose the nature of their next steps.
Story By: Fati Ali Wehyemeh
