Labour consultant Austin Gamey says government has the capacity to pay salary arrears owed to unpaid nurses and midwives, urging restraint as pressure mounts over months of unpaid work in public health facilities.
His comments come amid growing agitation among a coalition of nurses and midwives in the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association, who say they worked for nearly a year but received pay for only one month.
The group describes the situation as cruel, demoralising, and harmful to patient care, accusing the Health Ministry of broken promises and selective payments.
Speaking on Joy News’ PM Express on Tuesday, Mr Gamey said the issue should not be reduced to a lack of funds alone, stressing that government now carries a clear obligation to resolve the matter.
“I think the issue about money may not be entirely the case. It could be a very faint part of it, but to be honest with you, it’s an obligation now,” he said.
Drawing on experience in government, the labour consultant said the problem of unpaid public sector workers was not new, but Ghana had reached a point where such situations should no longer be repeated.
“Having been in government before and having faced similar issues before, and it has been all over all these years, but I think we’ve come a long way not to be repetitive of some of these things again,” he noted.
Mr Gamey said the unpaid nurses and midwives will eventually receive their arrears and urged all parties to stay the course.
“They will have to be paid, and they can be paid,” he stated.
He expressed strong confidence in government’s ability to raise the required funds, citing leadership at the highest level.
“I strongly believe that government can afford to raise the money to pay them, particularly the kind of President we have, who is quite empathetic about working people’s concerns,” he said.
Mr Gamey appealed to the nurses and midwives to exercise patience and avoid escalation, even as frustration continues to build.
“So I think they should just exercise patience and follow it through. Some of us behind the scenes will also be advocating for them,” he added.
He also cautioned against protests and court action, arguing that confrontation may not deliver quick results in the current situation.
“I don’t think demonstration and legalistic approach will be a solution to the problem now,” he said.
The comments come as unpaid nurses and midwives warn that prolonged neglect is weakening morale across public health facilities and could affect the quality of care delivered to patients nationwide.
