NDC Official Accuses NPP of Instigating Nurses’ Strike

National Democratic Congress (NDC) Deputy National Organizer Mustapha Gbande has alleged the New Patriotic Party (NPP) instigated the ongoing strike by the Ghana Registered Nurses’ and Midwives’ Association (GRNMA).

Speaking to media, Gbande claimed the NPP influenced the association’s leadership despite the party not addressing nurses’ demands during its eight-year administration.

“For eight years under NPP governance, nurses neither struck nor demanded implementation of their conditions of service,” Gbande stated. He accused the NPP of encouraging the GRNMA’s current stance: “They are abroad engaging via Zoom because they’ve been influenced by the NPP.”

Gbande criticized the strike’s impact: “You have a right, but responsibility to be at the hospital. We should sack them and get serious leadership. Only compelling reasons justify strikes.”

The GRNMA strike, now in its second week, continues to disrupt healthcare nationwide as nurses demand implementation of their conditions of service. Patients face worsening access to care as negotiations stall. Multiple appeals for workers to return have failed, with GRNMA leadership insisting only full implementation will end the action.

The accusation surfaces amid heightened political tensions ahead of Ghana’s 2024 elections, with labor disputes increasingly intersecting with partisan rhetoric.