The Government has approved two key allowances, fuel and uniform allowances, for nurses and midwives, with provisions to be formally included in the 2025 Mid-Year Budget Review, scheduled to be presented to Parliament on July 17.
The announcement, confirmed by the Information Services Department (ISD), comes after months of agitation and negotiations between the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) and government officials.
This decision follows a series of intense nationwide actions, including a strike in June 2025 that saw more than 128,000 nurses and midwives withdraw services over delays in the implementation of their 2024 Collective Bargaining Agreement. The industrial action disrupted operations across public health facilities, including outpatient and emergency services.
Among the key demands were allowances covering fuel, uniforms, on-call support, rural incentives, professional development, and a 13th-month salary. The uniform and fuel allowances were prioritized as urgent, with some workers citing nearly a year without payments, leading to low morale, financial strain, and even reported deaths among rotational staff.
Despite earlier concerns from the Ministry of Health over the fiscal implications of these demands, noting they were not captured in the 2025 budget, the government has now committed to beginning partial implementation through the mid-year review. The Ministries of Finance and Employment, along with the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC), were directed to develop a roadmap for phased implementation.
Further discussions are expected to continue in the coming months regarding the remaining components of the nurses’ and midwives’ conditions of service. The GRNMA has emphasized that full implementation must be reflected in the 2026 national budget.
