Author: George Kwaku Yeboah
In the lead-up to the 2024 general elections, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) boldly declared a nationwide strike to protest the government’s lukewarm response to the devastating impact of galamsey (illegal mining).
This action was framed not as a mere labour agitation, but as a moral and existential call to defend the environment, public health, and Ghana’s future.
Curiously, the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) distanced itself from this unified action. Their reason? A noble one on the surface: their patients’ lives and well-being were too precious to risk. They claimed that any withdrawal of service would endanger lives and undermine the very ethical foundations of healthcare delivery.
Fast forward to 2025. John Mahama has assumed office, and unlike his predecessor, his administration is decisively confronting the galamsey menace.
Yet, in a sharp twist of events, it is now the GRNMA that has declared an indefinite strike—this time over delays in implementing benefits agreed upon with the previous Akufo-Addo government. And this time, they are unwavering. No negotiations. No room for compromise. Health delivery is now clearly being impacted across the country.
So, the question must be asked: what has changed?
Why was patient care paramount under Akufo-Addo, but seemingly secondary under Mahama? Why was galamsey, a grave national threat with long-term health consequences, not deemed important enough to warrant their support then, yet remuneration is now sufficient cause to abandon their ethical posture?
This inconsistency raises uncomfortable questions about motives, political alignment, and principle. Ghanaian citizens deserve clarity, especially from professionals who hold the lives of others in their hands. If healthcare delivery was too sacred to be used as leverage in 2024, it should be equally sacred in 2025.
Or was it never really about the patients?
