Midwives Group not to embark on strike action

Accra, May 9, GNA- The Ghana Midwives Group of the Ghana Registered Midwives Association on Thursday distant themselves from the ongoing strike action by the Health Workers Group and said they will work to save lives.

They said some lives had been lost during previous strike actions and they had come to realise that their actions were against their calling since they were there to ensure safe delivery, safe motherhood and prevent loss of vulnerable lives during that precious moment of delivery.

The resolution affects both midwives in the public and private sector.

Ms Rizwana Hawa Amoako-Agyei, Acting Chairperson of the Ghana Midwives Group said this when she received a cheque for 250 million cedis on behalf of the association from Dr. Kofi Amoah, Chief Executive of Progene International Ventures, as a motivation to the Group.

She explained that members of the association took the resolution on January 16 this year after realising the negative effect of their strike action in the previous years and decided to ensure the constant protection of the lives of their vulnerable clients. She stated that the irreplaceable lives that were often lost during strike actions by health workers could never be justified and called on all other health workers on strike to go back to work while negotiations on their salary structure were being finalised. Ms Amoako-Agyei said the nursing profession was a noble call and a selfless service to humanity and anything short of it should not be accepted.

"The dangers posed by the constant withdrawal of service by health workers in the country over the past years have resulted to great human and financial loss," she said.

She commended Dr Amoah for the gesture and pleaded with the Minister of Health to speed up with the negotiations in resolving the impasse that had led to strike action by the health workers group. Dr. Amoah stated that the health of the citizen of every nation was paramount to its total development and therefore the tremendous investment made into the health sector to ensure quality health care delivery must not be allowed to go waste. He noted that to be well developed, there must be sacrifices in every country among a group of people at every point in time and such sacrifices should be viewed in good faith.

Dr Amoah said most of the good things, such as policies, infrastructure and programmes that were being enjoyed today were as a result of sacrifices from people who lived at that time and called on the health workers to see their sufferings as part of a sacrificial crusade towards the enjoyment of good things ahead of them. He commended the Midwives for the positive stand they have taken, adding, "Your dedication to work has never and would never go unnoticed".

Major Courage Quarshigah (Rtd), Minister of Health commended Dr Amoah for the kind gesture and gave the assurance that the Ministry was working around the clock to resolve the problem of the Health workers once and for all. 09 May 07