By Nana Yaw Prekoh

Copyright ghanaguardian

The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has intensified calls on government to urgently resolve the persistent salary delays affecting thousands of its members, warning that the health sector risks further disruption if the issue is not addressed.

Speaking in an exclusive interview, GRNMA President, Mrs. Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo, expressed outrage over what she described as a long-standing unfair labour practice, stressing that it was unacceptable for nurses and midwives to work for nearly a year without pay.

“These nurses and midwives should be paid their monthly salary,” she said.

“If government has challenges clearing arrears, arrangements must be made so that at least, from now until the year ends, they can receive their regular monthly wages.”

Her remarks came in the wake of a major protest in Accra on Thursday, October 2, where over 6,000 unpaid nurses demonstrated to demand their arrears.

Some of the nurses have reportedly gone between nine and ten months without salaries, despite being officially posted and actively serving in public health facilities.

Thousands Still Stranded on Payroll Issues

While government has reportedly processed and added close to 7,000 nurses onto the national payroll in recent months, around 6,500 remain unpaid.

According to figures available to the Association, about 3,000 of these have had their details successfully captured by the Controller and Accountant General’s Department, but thousands more are still in limbo without clarity on when their situation will be rectified.

Ofori-Ampofo cautioned that the continued failure to address the problem was a threat to Ghana’s already fragile healthcare delivery system.

“The nursing and midwifery fraternity is bedeviled with a lot of issues. It is about time government prioritizes our welfare. These delays are not only demoralizing but also unfair to professionals who sacrifice daily to save lives,” she emphasized.

Outstanding Allowances and Collective Agreement

Beyond the backlog of salaries, the GRNMA has also raised concerns over government’s failure to fully implement provisions of the Collective Agreement signed with health sector unions.

According to the Association, only the uniform allowance has been paid, while other entitlements such as book and research allowances and fuel allowances remain outstanding.

“We received our uniform allowance in September, but the rest of the agreed allowances have not been honored,” Mrs. Ofori-Ampofo explained.

“We are still engaging government on this matter because the agreement must be respected.”

Rising Unemployment Among Trained Nurses

The problem of unpaid salaries adds to another growing challenge in the sector — unemployment among trained nurses.

The GRNMA President revealed that between 2021 and 2024, nearly 80,000 trained nurses and midwives remain at home, still waiting for postings.

This, she said, is worsening frustrations within the profession and creating a sense of hopelessness among the younger workforce.

Rotation nurses — graduates undertaking their mandatory national service — are also battling delays in receiving their stipends.

Ofori-Ampofo disclosed that both the 2024 and 2025 batches of interns have gone for five months without receiving their allowances, despite being placed on the Single Spine Salary Structure.

Warning to Government

The Association has given government a three-week window to provide a clear and comprehensive payment plan for both salary arrears and outstanding allowances.

Failure to do so, it warns, could spark further unrest in the health sector, which has already seen strikes and protests in recent months.