By Sylvia Ofori Amanfo (Student, UniMAC-IJ)
It is disheartening to witness how the actions and inactions of a few can negatively impact the lives of many, especially when those affected are completely innocent and unaware of the underlying causes.
The ongoing industrial action by health workers in Ghana has sparked worry and frustration among citizens, not only because of its implications on the health system but because of the dire consequences it has on ordinary patients.
These are people who visit health facilities with hope, only to be met with empty wards and no one to attend to their urgent medical needs.
The situation is deeply concerning. Videos circulating on social media show an empty Emergency Unit at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH). Beds have been moved outside, and patients, many in critical condition, are met with abandoned wards.
The silence in these normally bustling spaces is not one of peace but of pain and helplessness.
The nationwide strike by public sector nurses and other health workers is taking a toll on healthcare delivery. Major hospitals are struggling to provide even the most basic services.
The Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, the Greater Accra Regional Hospital (Ridge), and the Adabraka Polyclinic, paints a grim picture of how dire the situation has become.
At Korle Bu, the hub of bustling medical activity, the Outpatient Department (OPD) was largely deserted. Patients, some visibly in pain and distress, waited for hours without being attended to.
Others, overwhelmed by the lack of assistance, simply gave up and returned home untreated, and without answers.
Reports from other regions indicate that the crisis is not limited to Accra. Several major health facilities across the country have been affected by the industrial action, leaving thousands of patients without care.
The absence of nurses in wards and consultation rooms is especially noticeable. In most places, only emergency cases and those already admitted are receiving attention and even then, only from a handful of doctors and volunteers trying to do their best under strained conditions.
But the question remains; why must patients always pay the price?
Health worker grievances may be legitimate, whether they concern poor working conditions, unpaid allowances, or lack of resources.
However, the method of redress, particularly the withdrawal of essential services ends up punishing the very people health workers swore to protect.
Patients, especially the vulnerable, should never bear the burden of unresolved systemic issues.
It is time for a national conversation and lasting reforms. There must be mechanisms in place to resolve labor disputes within the health sector swiftly and effectively without disrupting critical services.
Perhaps a designated arbitration body, or a legal mandate requiring minimum emergency services during industrial actions, could be established.
Dialogue and negotiation, not withdrawal of services, should be the path forward.
Ultimately, healthcare is a fundamental human right. No patient should lose their life, suffer complications, or be turned away because of a strike.
The cost is far too high, not just in lives lost, but in the erosion of public trust in the health system.
Let us demand change, not just from the health workers, but from the government, policy makers, and all stakeholders, to ensure that no Ghanaian ever again has to pay the price of someone else’s actions.
