By: Akua Oteng Amponsah
The Coalition of Unpaid Nurses and Midwives Association took to the streets to demand their salaries, which have been withheld for nearly 10 months.
The protesters marched from the Efua Sutherland Park, where the protest began and presented their petitions to the Ministries of Finance and Health, all in Accra.
The nurses and midwives were officially posted in December 2024, but while some 6,500 colleagues received their salaries in April 2025, the rest remained unpaid. The convener of the coalition, Stephen Kwadwo Takyiah, expressed frustration over the delay, saying:
“While some 6,500 colleagues have been paid since April 2025, the delay in settling the arrears of the rest is crippling the delivery of quality healthcare across the country.”
The unpaid salaries have taken a devastating toll on the health workers’ lives. Mr. Takyiah shared heartbreaking stories of colleagues struggling to pay medical bills and afford basic necessities. He lamented:
“One of my colleagues just underwent surgery, and we are still struggling to pay her hospital bills. Another is an asthmatic patient who spends about GH¢300 every month on inhalers… Our people are suffering and some are dying, yet we have worked honestly.”
The protesters emphasized that the delayed payments are not only unjust but also threaten the stability of Ghana’s healthcare system. Mr. Takyiah made a comparison, saying:
“To deny citizens and health workers their salaries is the greatest crime any leader can commit. We are pleading with the government to act urgently—if not, we are dying, and our healthcare system is collapsing.”
The demonstrators shared their personal struggles, with one nurse revealing:
“It has been extremely difficult. My rent is due this December, and I have no means to pay… I have been borrowing from friends and family since January, but now they ignore my calls because they are tired of me.”
Another nurse described his daily struggle to survive:
“Most days I wait until 2 p.m. just to eat ‘gob3’ and then drink water till the next day. Sometimes I eat only once, and on some days not at all.”
The nurses and midwives are demanding dignity, survival, and fairness, emphasizing that health professionals must be treated with respect and paid promptly.
