UPNMG urges government to honour agreements with nurses and midwives

The President of the Union of Professional Nurses and Midwives Ghana (UPNMG), Maxwell Oduro Yeboah, has called on the government to honour agreements reached with nurses and midwives, warning that delays in implementing negotiated conditions of service erode trust, weaken staff morale and ultimately affect the quality of healthcare delivery.

Addressing the Union's Volta Regional Durbar in Ho, Mr Yeboah stressed that agreements signed with health workers must be implemented within the agreed timelines rather than being repeatedly deferred.

"To our employers and to government, with all respect, when you sign an agreement with nurses and midwives, you need to honour it. An agreement is not for decoration."

He said the continual postponement of negotiated conditions of service damages confidence between employers and employees.

"When conditions of service are signed and we are told to wait until next year or next month, by the time you realise it, something is dead. It is not the document that dies; it is the trust. And when trust dies, we all bury it."

Mr Yeboah emphasised that healthy employer-employee relations are essential to improving productivity and service delivery in Ghana's health sector.

"Our theme is about forging a healthy employer-employee relationship and shared responsibility. If you want the hen to keep laying eggs, you must feed the hen. Job satisfaction is not a favour to nurses and midwives; it is how Ghana keeps her nurses and midwives."

He likened the relationship between government and health workers to a marriage that thrives on mutual commitment and understanding.

"A healthy relationship between employer and employee is like marriage. It survives when both sides refuse to give up on each other. Government should not give up on nurses and midwives, and nurses and midwives must not give up on Ghana."

While advocating better conditions of service, Mr Yeboah reminded nurses and midwives of their responsibility to uphold professionalism and ethical standards at all times.

"Our biggest weapon is not strike action. Our biggest weapon is our excellence. Be ethical, be compassionate and guard your professionalism like gold. When our work cannot be faulted, our voice cannot be ignored."

He noted that beyond advocacy, the union has established financial support mechanisms to improve the welfare of its members.

"We did not form this union only to complain. Complaining is free, but building is hard. Today, the UPNMG Fund moves millions of cedis every month through loans, investments and other businesses. Nurses' and midwives' money is working for nurses and midwives."

Mr Yeboah also encouraged young nurses and midwives to remain optimistic despite the challenges confronting the profession, saying hard work and determination could open greater opportunities.

"I started as a young general nurse in Tamale. If someone had told me then that I would one day lead over 30,000 nurses and midwives, I would have doubted it. Where you are now is not where you will end."

He urged members to look beyond clinical practice and explore other opportunities for personal and professional growth.

"The same hands that deliver babies can build companies. The same brain that calculates drug dosages can run businesses, pursue higher education and even lead this country. Your dream is still valid, and UPNMG stands behind you."

Also speaking at the event, the Volta Regional President of UPNMG, Hon. Famous Agbenyefia Attipoe, raised concerns over what he described as unfair labour practices affecting some nurses and midwives.

He cited instances where health workers were allegedly subjected to excessive disciplinary measures, including prolonged night shifts and transfers that disrupted their career progression.

"We do not seek to promote indiscipline or obstruct justice. Rather, we seek fairness, justice and respect for due process. Employees must be treated with dignity because today's employee may become tomorrow's manager."

Mr Attipoe also highlighted the difficult working conditions faced by many nurses and midwives in rural communities across the Volta Region, including poor road networks, unreliable telecommunications services and inadequate access to potable water.

He appealed to the government and relevant authorities to give special consideration to health workers serving in deprived areas, particularly with respect to promotions and study leave opportunities.

Despite the challenges, he commended members who remained at post to care for patients during last year's industrial action and reaffirmed the union's commitment to constructive engagement with stakeholders.

Speaking to journalists after the programme, Mr Yeboah reiterated that improving healthcare delivery requires strong collaboration among employers, health workers and the public.

"We need the workers, the employers and the clients. It is only when we understand each other and are willing to meet halfway that this relationship will succeed. Nurses and midwives are ready to provide the services they were trained for. If employers also play their part by providing the right conditions and logistics, Ghanaians will receive the quality healthcare they deserve."

He further observed that the outstanding performance of Ghanaian nurses in countries abroad demonstrates the country's rich human resource potential, stressing that improving conditions of service locally would help retain skilled professionals and strengthen Ghana's healthcare system.

H.E Maxwell Oduro Yeboah, National President, Union of Professional Nurses and Midwives Ghana.