A Meeting between the Parliamenta­ry Select Com­mittee on Health and Executives of the striking Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwifery Association (GRNMA) ended with a glimmer of hope.Even though details of the discussions were not made public, the chairman of the commit­tee, Dr Kurk Mark Nawaane, described the negotiations as fruitful.At a media briefing after the four-hour meeting he indicated that there was some level of un­derstanding as both sides agreed to synchronise their actions.The chairman further explained that the GRNMA had agreed to report the outcome of the meet­ing to their Council and assured of getting back to the Committee."It was fair the representa­tives of the GRNMA relay the feedback to their Council and communicate same the feedback to the Committee to ensure that any further decision taken would be acceptable to all parties," he said.The Minister of Health, officials of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, the National Labour Commission, the Majority Leader and other parties that mat­ter in the impasse were present at the meeting.The GRNMA on June 2 em­barked on a strike action which has crippled health care delivery across the country.According to the GRNMA, their action was necessitated by the failure of government to implement their negotiated con­dition of service despite several appeals.The Condition of Service which was negotiated and signed between the GRNMA and the government in 2024, was sched­uled to have been implemented in July last year, however, a splinter group from the GRNMA took the issue to court challenging the validity of the agreement.After a long legal battle, the high court ruled in January this year, giving the green light for the implementation of the agreement.

However, government cited the lack of fiscal space making it difficult for the agreement to be implemented this year.As the strike action entered the second week, many have appealed to the nurses to return to work and resort to dialogue, but the appeals have all fallen on deaf ears as the nurses have resolved not to return until their conditions are implemented. BY LAWRENCE VOMAFA AKPALU