Ranking Member on Parliament’s Health Committee Dr Nana Ayew Afriye
Ranking Member on Parliament’s Health Committee Dr Nana Ayew Afriye has credited the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association’s (GRNMA) decision to halt its statewide strike to the Committee’s tactful and strategic stance during discussions.
After over a week of service interruptions in public health facilities around the country, the GRNMA stopped its strike today. On June 26, a final round of talks is anticipated to decide whether the truce will remain in place and whether the government’s response lives up to the nurses’ expectations.
In a Friday, June 13 interview with Citi Eyewitness News, Dr. Afriye emphasized that the Committee’s cohesive and positive approach was crucial in reducing tensions and promoting collaboration from the GRNMA leadership.
“It is just the posturing… The Parliamentary Committee were of a posture of a kind that we were seeking the cooperation of the nurses,” he stated. “We were a very solid, organised team and we know their rights.”
Citing the fact that other medical professionals had already signed their updated terms of service under the previous administration, he admitted that the nurses’ demands were reasonable.
He claims that the only cadre in the health sector whose agreement has not yet been fully implemented is the nursing profession.
“It is not like anything they are asking for is new… So we told them some first principles — that you are right,” citinewsroom.com quoted him to have said.
The bipartisan support of the Committee was equally important, Dr. Afriye continued. The minority caucus publicly supported the nurses, he noted, giving them the assurance that their concerns were being fairly considered.
KA