Why nurses and midwives dey strike for Ghana
Tears full di eyes of 40-year-old pregnant Rosemary Adjei for di Adabraka polyclinic afta im find say nurses and midwives for di kontri dey strike.
Di seven-month-old pregnant mama say im dey feel plenty pain for back and im belle na so she go di facility but im dey disappointed.
"I bin dey come antenatal, dis time my body all don dey pain me wey I try waka come di hospital but nobody dey hia; di nurses all dey strike," Rosemary tok.
Afta many hours, im carry her pain go back to her house.
Many oda patients including children bin dey stranded for many public hospitals and clinics as di strike by di nurses and midwives continue to dey bite hard.
For some hospitals, doctors don dey work overtime to cover for nurses.
Di strike begin on 2 June, wia di nurses withdraw some of dia services but dem now totally withdraw on 9 June as dem tok say goment neva meet dia demands.
Wia dis foto come from, CLINTON YEBOAH
Why di nurses and midwives dey strike?
At least 128,000 nurses and midwives across di kontri bin declare dis nationwide strike.
Di health workers dey protest failure of goment to implement dia conditions of service wey dem sign for May 2024.
According to dem, afta dem sign dis document for di previous goment, dem neva implement am till now.
Dis na some of di tins inside di conditions of service document
- Book & research allowance (determined by goment)
- Uniform allowance Ghc 1,000 ($99)
- Fuel allowance 180 litres
- Non-basic allowance (5% of monthly basic salary top-up)
- On-call facilitation allowance (overtime)
- Rural incentive allowance
- 13th month salary
- Licence renewal allowance
Wia dis foto come from, CLINTON YEBOAH
Why di previous goment no implement di agreement
Di nursing and midwifery group bin get five unions inside di group, wia di Ghana registered nurses and midwives association (GRNMA) get di most members ; 96,000.
Na so some of di pipo for di group tok say dem no dey involved for di negotiation of di conditions of service, wey dem carry di mata go court for 2024.
Di GRNMA tok say, "we no dey aware about dia existence during di negotiation, na so we reach di agreement wit goment. But dem carry di mata go court," GRNMA tok tok pesin Philemon Gyapong explain to BBC.
Im add say, "afta di court listen to di mata, dem tok say make all di unions for di association sidon to address di mata through alternative dispute resolution (ADR), na so we do am."
Di GRNMA tok say since dem solve di mata wit di oda unions inside dia group, di govment get to implement di agreement but di former govment no do am, na so dem expect say di current goment go take am up.
"We bin negotiate dis conditions wit di ministry of health, di fair wages and salaries commission and odas, so afta di court mata, di govment need go ahead and implement di agreement wey suppose last for two years bifor anoda negotiation," deputy PRO Philemon Gyapong explain to BBC.
How govment don respond?
Di health minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh tok say di nurses and midwives suppose sit for table make dem tok di mata, instead of going on strike.
Im explain say di govment already bin prepare budget for dis year wia dem allocate moni already, so dem no fit create space for di demands of di nurses and midwives.
"Govment dey ready to engage wit di nurses about how to implement di conditions of service for di nurses and midwives wey no go dislocate di national budget," oga Mintah Akandoh tok.
Im add say, "if we implement dis conditions of service immediately, e go throw di kontri budget out of gear, wia we neva wan do unbudgeted expenditure wey go create wahala for di govment."
"Govment dey ready to engage to find wetin go work for both parties for dis mata."
Di finance ministry tok say e go cost di govment Ghc 2bn ($200m) to implement all di conditions of service for di ova 138,000 nurses and midwives for di kontri; but dat kind moni no dey.
But di nurses bin dey insist say goment fit to implement am if dem dey take health workers serious.
Di fair wages and salaries commission don go court to file injunction against di strike as dem tok say di nurses no use di right channel bifore dem go strike.
Di commission tok say as far as dem dey concerned, dis strike wey di nurses and midwives don dey on, na illegal.
Di health ministry bin publish list of hospitals and health facilities wia few nurses wey decide say dem no go join dia mother association for dis strike, dey work.
Di sector minister tok say make sick pipo go dis hospitals for healthcare for di mean time as dem dey continue to dey engage di nurses.
Di minister also tok say "govment dey appeal to retired nurses and midwives to volunteer to work for di public hospitals for di period wey dis strike dey continue."
"We appreciate nurses wey decide to continue to work despite di strike sake of dia feeling for human being and dia compassion at dis time."
