Across the country, nurses have laid down their tools not out of disregard for patients, but because silence and endurance have only led to deeper exploitation.
The ongoing nurses’ strike is not simply a matter of industrial unrest; it is a declaration of our worth and a demand for justice. For too long, the essential role nurses play has been acknowledged in speeches but ignored in policy. It is time for governments to match their words with actions.
Nurses: The Pulse of the Healthcare System
Nurses are present at every stage of a patient’s healthcare journey. We:
• Deliver emergency interventions,
• Administer medications and therapies,
• Monitor patients through the most critical phases of illness,
• Educate communities on disease prevention,
• Provide emotional and psychological support to families,
• Coordinate multidisciplinary care with doctors, pharmacists, and social workers.
We are more than caregivers we are planners, advocates, and protectors of life. Without nurses, no healthcare system can function.
Yet, our value continues to be measured in inadequate wages, unrealistic workloads, and a continued lack of representation in health policy. The strike has revealed what nurses already knew: we are essential but not treated as such.
Why Nurses Are Striking: Beyond the Surface
This strike is not about rebellion or disruption; it is a plea for survival. Among the core grievances is the government’s prolonged inertia in implementing the Conditions of Service (CoS) negotiated in good faith between nursing unions and health authorities.
What’s at Stake:
• Delayed implementation of agreed-upon allowances and salary adjustments,
• Failure to honor timelines for promotions and benefits,
• Inadequate resources to maintain basic standards of care,
• Broken promises around professional development and welfare incentives,
• Poor enforcement mechanisms, which allow bureaucratic delays to flourish without accountability.
The CoS is not a suggestion; it is a legally binding agreement. Yet, the government’s failure to act demonstrates a disregard for the rule of law and for the wellbeing of frontline workers.
Legal and Ethical Violations
The continuous delay in implementing the Conditions of Service constitutes a breach of:
• Labour Act provisions on collective bargaining and fair remuneration,
• International Labour Organization (ILO) conventions,
• The constitutional right to fair treatment, safe working conditions, and dignified employment.
Moreover, this inaction violates the ICN Code of Ethics for Nurses, which calls for environments that respect and support nursing practice.
When governments ignore the CoS, they are not just failing nurses they are breaking a legal and moral contract.
Nurses Are Not Begging We Are Demanding What Is Due
What is disheartening is not just the financial aspect, but the lack of political will to prioritize those who deliver the majority of patient care. Nurses are not seeking privilege we are demanding what is already owed, signed, and agreed upon.
Governments’ continued delays and vague reassurances have pushed nurses to the edge. We are tired of promises. We want policy action, not sympathy. We want systems that work not praise in crisis and neglect in peacetime.
Call to Action: Government Responsibility
This crisis must mark a turning point. Governments must:
• Immediately implement all outstanding provisions of the CoS,
• Establish clear accountability mechanisms with timelines and transparent reporting,
• Strengthen engagement with nursing unions in policy dialogues,
• Protect the rights of nurses to fair wages, safe workplaces, and professional recognition.
The question is not whether a country can afford to invest in its nurses. It is whether it can afford not to.
Conclusion: A Profession Worth Fighting For
Nurses are holding the system together often at the expense of their own health and family life. This strike is not a betrayal of our calling. It is a bold defense of the profession and the patients we serve.
We will not be silent while agreements are shelved, while frontline workers burn out, and while our dignity is traded for bureaucracy.
To the government: fulfill your promise. Honor the Conditions of Service. Respect the nurses who hold your health system upright. Because when nurses are treated well, everyone benefits from the hospital ward to the village clinic, from the newborn baby to the elderly mother.
We are not asking for charity. We are demanding justice.
#Achie’s2Cents
