Members of the Coalition of Unpaid Nurses and Midwives have threatened to embark on a strike action should the government fail to pay them their 11-month salary arrears.
According to the Coalition, which represents over 6,000 members nationwide, the delays in the payment of their eleven months’ arrears, have left them in serious hardship.
The Coalition revealed that some members have received only one month’s payment, while about 300 have yet to receive a single month’s salary since they began work in December 2024.
Leader of the Coalition, Stephen Takyiah, said the payment falls short of what is owed and fails to reflect the sacrifices made by the frontline health workers.
They fear the situation could worsen as the extended financial clearance for their employment is set to expire in December.
“Even more troubling is the fact that a portion of our colleagues, over 7,000 nurses and midwives who began receiving salaries in April 2025, have had all their arrears paid in full, while the rest of us, totalling 6,261, have been completely abandoned. Some of us were even validated to receive full arrears in November, but surprisingly, we were paid just a single month’s salary. This deceptive action gave us nothing but heartbreak and shattered hope,” the Coalition said during a press conference at Ejisu in the Ashanti Region.
The unpaid nurses and midwives also accused the Ministry of Health of failing to honour its commitment to publish a clear payment plan after the November salary.
“The Ministry of Health promised to release a payment plan after the November salary. Today, it has been weeks of complete silence. No roadmap, no timelines, no communication. Instead, what we have received is a misleading press release claiming that we have all been paid, when the reality on the ground is the exact opposite.
“We demand immediate communication from the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Finance and full payment of our accumulated arrears. We demand fairness, transparency, and respect for our labour and our dignity. We have served Ghana faithfully. It is time for Ghana to do the same for us,” they said.
“We have responsibilities like rent, families, and children to cater for. Just this month alone, many of our landlords were after us for rent. I mostly commute from Komfo Anokye Hospital to Santasi, and sometimes I have to continue on foot to get home because I haven’t been paid. This situation has affected us deeply,” said Michael Makafui, one of the aggrieved nurses.
A Daily Guide Report