The National Association of Registered Midwives (NARM) has officially distanced itself from the nationwide strike led by the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), citing exclusion from negotiations and disregard for due process.
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Speaking on TV3’s Hot Issues on June 8, 2025, NARM President Letitia Asaba Atiah emphasized that midwives had not endorsed the industrial action. “We are not in support of the strike because the due process wasn’t completed,” she stated.
Atiah revealed that NARM was removed from GRNMA’s bargaining group without consultation, an act she described as unlawful and undemocratic. “Nurses shouldn’t bargain for midwives,” she insisted. “We need our bargaining voice.”
She noted that NARM has yet to engage with the Finance Minister, a step she believes is essential before considering any strike action. “If we had our bargaining certificate, we wouldn’t all be on strike. We could’ve still been working while the nurses are on strike,” she added.
Atiah also raised concerns about healthcare delivery under the current system, especially the limitations of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), which often fails to cover critical procedures and medications, even though nurses under SSNIT receive health insurance benefits.
Most notably, she called for greater recognition of midwives’ unique responsibilities:
“Midwives shouldn’t be under nurses or taken for granted. We attend to more than one life at any given time, mother and baby(ies).”
The NARM’s statement underscores a growing push for autonomy and respect in the midwifery profession, separate from broader nursing structures.
