Dr. Kwaku Asante-Krobea, immediate past President of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association, has sharply criticized the Health Minister for his handling of the ongoing nurses’ strike. Speaking on a morning radio show, Dr. Asante-Krobea described the Minister’s actions and comments as worsening the crisis and disrespectful to the striking nurses.
He said the Minister owes the nurses an apology, not for any wrongdoing on their part, but for the dismissive and insulting tone used towards them. He stated that telling nurses to return for renegotiation in such a dismissive tone is unfair.
Dr. Asante-Krobea accused the Ministry of Health of playing games and lacking seriousness in addressing the nurses’ grievances. He emphasized that the solutions are clear and that even if the government cannot meet all demands, it should meet the nurses halfway, which is a hallmark of good leadership.
His comments followed the Health Minister’s appeal urging retired nurses and midwives to volunteer temporarily during the strike. Dr. Asante-Krobea condemned this appeal as inappropriate and a way of shifting blame. He stressed that if patients are dying, it is due to the Minister’s poor handling, not the nurses’ demands, which he affirmed as legitimate.
Describing the Minister’s remarks as very regrettable and insulting, Dr. Asante-Krobea urged the government to return to the negotiation table with respect and pragmatic solutions. He said that governing requires sitting down, listening, and negotiating in good faith rather than issuing appeals that lack empathy.
He concluded by encouraging nurses to remain firm in their demands while calling on the government to adopt a more constructive approach to resolving the strike, which began over the government’s failure to implement the Collective Agreement covering allowances and improved working conditions.
