Nurses’ strike: 18-year-old dies after being denied emergency care in three hospitals

An 18-year-old boy has died after his family says they were turned away from multiple hospitals due to an ongoing strike by nurses in parts of Ghana.

Christian Felix Kesse was rushed to the Kpone Government Hospital after falling seriously ill. But his father, Felix Agyarkor, says they were told no nurses were on duty and advised to seek help at a private facility.

“When we got to the hospital, we were told the nurses were on strike. We were helpless,” Agyarkor recounted, fighting back tears.

The family, he added, then turned to a private health facility, but medics there referred them back to the same government hospital.

Faced with a critical situation, they headed next to the Tema General Hospital, only to receive the same response.

“We were told they were not working too. That’s when we made our way to the Greater Accra Regional Hospital,” Mr Agyarkor said.

By the time they arrived, it was too late. Christian was pronounced dead on arrival.

The father says the entire ordeal lasted nearly three hours.

“We did everything we could. But everywhere we turned, we were told the nurses were not working.”

Rising death tolls

The incident comes as the Mortuary Workers Association of Ghana (MOWAG) has also raised concerns over a noticeable increase in the number of bodies being brought to mortuaries across the country.

Speaking to Accra-based Citi FM the General Secretary of MOWAG, Richard Kofi Jordan, described the situation as alarming, attributing the daily surge in the number of people who have passed to the impact of the nurses’ strike.

“Looking at the [number] of death[s] compared to the past and now, the death toll has increased significantly, and it is not surprising because of the impact of the nurse’s absence.

“On average, where we are to record about 10 a day, we are recording about 20 to 25. This tells you that the absence of our nurses is becoming so severe,” he said.

Standoff

The industrial action follows a deadlock in negotiations, after the government requested to delay the implementation of nurses’ new conditions of service until 2026, a proposal the GRNMA has firmly rejected.

The John Mahama government is turning to retired nurses and midwives to fill critical gaps in hospitals as it works to resolve the impasse.

Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh expressed deep regret over the impact of the strike on patients and assured that government is taking steps to resolve the crisis.

“Given the urgency of the situation and suffering of patients, government appeals to public-spirited retired nurses and midwives to volunteer,” Akandoh said.

He revealed that the Ministries of Health and Finance, alongside the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, have been tasked to urgently develop a roadmap for the approval and implementation of improved conditions of service for nurses and midwives.

“Government remains committed to the needed engagement that would lead to the approval and the implementation of the conditions of service,” he said.

“We express our deep appreciation to practicing nurses who have opted to remain at post to help suffering patients and urge others to show similar fellow-feeling,” he added. – AsaaseRadio