The Parliamentary Health Committee has clarified that the recent call for retired nurses and midwives to return to work is only a temporary measure and not a permanent policy direction.
Addressing the growing public concern over the move, committee member Alexander Akwasi Acquah stated that the intervention is merely to cushion the health sector during the ongoing nationwide strike by nurses and midwives.
His comments come amid mounting pressure on government officials to address the healthcare vacuum created by the industrial action.
Speaking to ABC News GH, Mr. Acquah urged calm and emphasized that the measure is not a long-term solution but a stopgap to ensure continued care for the general public.
“We continue to appeal to the nurses and midwives that see to the generality of the public, that they go back to work,” he said, echoing government efforts to restore essential services.
His remarks follow an earlier plea by the Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, who called on retired health professionals to volunteer their services to mitigate the strain on the health system.
The health minister’s appeal, made during a joint press briefing with the Ministry of Finance at Jubilee House on June 10, comes as the nurses’ strike enters its second week.
Mr. Akandoh acknowledged the legitimacy of the concerns raised by the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), but stressed that their demands—absent from the 2025 national budget—could not be met without jeopardizing the country’s fragile economic stability.
