The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has underscored the need for better remuneration for its members.
According to the GRNMA President, Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo, a suitable salary for an average nurse in Ghana should be pegged at GH¢10,000 monthly.
She said the average nurse in Ghana takes home about GH¢2,500, which is woefully inadequate considering the country’s current standard of living.
She stressed the need for a realistic pay structure and questioned the potency of the single-spine salary structure.
” All our members are on a single-spine salary structure, which has outlived its usefulness and should be looked at,” Madam Ofori-Ampofo mentioned.
The salary of registered nurses and midwives in Ghana depends on the level of learning and entry.
Based on their level, nurses in Ghana earn between $3,600 and $4,800 in a year after taxation. However, due to increasing food and transportation costs, nurses are obliged to take second jobs in private health and work back-to-back shifts.
On condition of service, she said the association was renegotiating with the Ministry of Health and other agencies on improvement.
“Our condition of service is not the best because when you compare it to our compatriots in other countries, you can see ours is below par.
She lamented, “Nurses don’t want to serve in rural areas due to conditions like no electricity, poor road networks, and absence of social amenities, among others.”
Madam Ofori-Ampofo contended that allowances of nurses, in most instances, are not paid.
The association, she said, is demanding an increment in some allowances.
” We are given GH¢400 as uniform allowance for a year in which you will sow three uniforms, a sneaker and other accessories from it,” Madam Ofori-Ampofo said in an interview on Hot Issues on TV3.
The government increased base pay for workers by 23% across the board from January to June 2024 and readjusted to 25% from July to December 2024.
However, Madam Ofori-Ampofo indicated that the increase hasn’t positively impacted its members because of inflation, the high exchange rate, and the high cost of living in the country.