Engineer and policy analyst, Michael Kosi Dedey, has criticised the government’s response to the ongoing strike by the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), describing the appeal to retired health professionals as unrealistic and a sign of poor leadership planning.
In a panel discussion on Channel One TV’s Breakfast Daily on Wednesday, June 11, he expressed frustration over what he believes was a lack of proactive engagement from the Ministry of Health when the issues were first raised.
“When he came into office, this was an issue already on the table. He was going round fighting chief executives in this country of hospitals instead of sitting down and saying that these are issues that we need to look at, how do we go about it?”
He argued that the minister failed to engage constructively with health sector stakeholders, choosing instead to focus on power struggles rather than addressing the pressing concerns of nurses and midwives.
According to him, the government’s delayed intervention and call for retirees to fill the vacuum left by striking health workers is not just impractical, but also out of touch with reality.
“He waited for the people to go on strike and later came and told them retirees should volunteer. How is that possible? You think the retirees will come? Let us get real, it is not going to happen. Nobody will come anywhere.”
His remarks follow the government’s appeal for retired nurses and midwives to return temporarily to service to ease the impact of the industrial action, which has escalated since the GRNMA rejected a proposal to delay their new conditions of service until 2026.
The strike, which continues nationwide without resolution, has led to significant disruptions in healthcare delivery, especially in public hospitals and maternity centres.