Madam Perpetual Ofori Ampofo, leader of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has said her husband’s NPP affiliation does not influence her. Madam Perpetual has come under attack after she said nurses will initiate a series of industrial actions in solidarity with nurses who will be affected by a directive to lay off staff recruited during the transition period. In a press release signed by Mrs Ofori-Ampofo, and Secretary, Dr David Tenkorang-Twum, the GRNMA stressed that newly recruited nurses and midwives must remain at post, as they form the majority of Ghana’s healthcare workforce and are crucial to the functioning of the health system.
The statement follows a directive from the Chief of Staff at Jubilee House, dated February 10, 2025, referenced SCR/DA85/85/01/A, titled ‘Revocation of Appointments and Recruitments Made After December 7, 2024.’ The GRNMA disclosed that an emergency meeting of its National Executive Committee and National Council was initially held on February 13, 2025, to issue a press statement. However, the release was postponed following an emergency meeting convened by the Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, to clarify the directive’s implications for nurses and midwives.
Members of the NDC have accused Mrs Ofori Ampofo of using her position to advance the political agenda of her husband who is a constituency chairman of the now opposition NPP. The husband of Mrs Perpetual Ofori Ampofo is Bright Ofori Ampofo, the constituency Chairman of the NPP in Bortianor Ngleshie Amanfrom. “Yes, my husband is an NPP constituency chairman but I am not registered to any political party so my decision to embark on strike is in the interest of the nurses” Mrs Ofori Ampofo said on Oyerepa Fm monitored by MyNewsGh.com. The Ministry of Health (MoH) is conducting investigations into all public sector recruitments made after December 7, 2024, to identify irregularities in the hiring process. This investigation includes the recruitment of nurses and midwives, and its findings will be communicated to the GRNMA in due course.
The Ghana Health Service (GHS), in a circular dated February 12, 2025, directed all divisional and regional health directors to suspend newly recruited nurses who had not yet been placed on the payroll as of January 2025. This move, according to the GRNMA, suggests that the Chief of Staff’s directive is already being implemented, raising concerns over its immediate impact on healthcare delivery.
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