Elvis Darko, Editor-in-Chief of Newscenta Newspaper, has accused the government of deliberately omitting the demands of nurses and midwives from the 2025 national budget, despite being fully aware of their concerns well in advance.
Speaking on Channel One TV on Thursday, June 12, 2025, Darko criticised the government’s handling of the ongoing strike by the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), which was sparked by the deferral of their new conditions of service.
Darko questioned the government’s sincerity, pointing out that the nurses’ demands were raised as early as January, well before the budget was presented.
“The government should stop commenting that their conditions of service are not in the budget. Why is it not in the budget? Because the ministers approved before the budget for the year was presented. Ato Forson presented the budget on the 11th of March, and the nurses started engaging you in January. It means you are aware of their needs, so if they are not in the budget, it means you deliberately did not put them in the budget,” he said.
His remarks suggest that the exclusion of the nurses’ and midwives’ demands was a calculated decision, not an oversight, despite the GRNMA’s early engagement with the government.
The government, however, has cited financial constraints as the reason for its inability to meet the demands immediately.
Deputy Finance Minister Thomas Nyarko Ampem stated that fulfilling the nurses’ and midwives’ conditions of service would add over GHS2 billion to the national budget, an expenditure he warned could jeopardize the country’s economic recovery efforts.
The ongoing strike has heightened tensions, with the GRNMA and its supporters accusing the government of neglecting the critical role of nurses and midwives in the healthcare system.
Darko’s comments have amplified calls for accountability, as the public awaits the government’s response to the escalating crisis.
