By Jibril Abdul Mumuni
Accra, May 5, GNA–The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), in collaboration with the Health Services Workers’ Union (HSWU) and Public Services International (PSI), has launched a policy brief aimed at strengthening climate‑resilient healthcare delivery.
The policy brief, titled, “Organising Health Workers’ Voices for Climate‑Resilient Care in Ghana,” was officially presented at a stakeholder dissemination forum held in Accra.
The forum marked the culmination of a joint project implemented by GRNMA and HSWU with support from PSI and AVENA. The project sought to document and analyse how climate change is affecting health workers, healthcare facilities, and patient care across the country.
Mrs. Perpetual Ofori‑Ampofo, President of GRNMA, said the project had helped health workers better understand the direct link between climate change and healthcare delivery.
“Before this project, many of us could not easily relate climate change to the work we do. Today, those who participated now clearly understand how heat, flooding, and environmental conditions affect both patients and health workers,” she said.
Mrs. Ofori‑Ampofo noted that nurses and midwives spent 24 hours with patients, adding that the condition of the environment in which care was delivered significantly influenced health outcomes and staff well‑being.
She said the project was timely and had equipped health workers with the knowledge and tools to engage colleagues and advocate for safer, more resilient health facilities.
Mr. Franklin Owusu‑Ansah, General Secretary of the Health Services Workers’ Union, said climate change had become a workplace issue that directly affects occupational safety and patient care.
He cited extreme heat, flooding, poor air quality, and unsafe working conditions as growing challenges faced by health workers across the country.
“These are not abstract issues,” he said. “They affect how we work, our safety, and the safety of patients.”
He called on health workers to use the policy brief to educate colleagues and push for practical solutions at their workplaces.
In a goodwill message, Mr. Daniel Oberko, Regional Secretary for Africa and Arab Countries of Public Services International, commended the unions for producing a worker‑led, evidence‑based policy document grounded in the lived experiences of frontline health workers.
He explained that the policy brief was unique because the data and recommendations were generated by health workers themselves rather than external consultants.
“This gives unions a strong foundation to influence policy using their collective agreements and to engage government on issues such as occupational health and safety, climate adaptation, and workers’ compensation.” Mr. Oberko said.
He stressed that climate change was largely driven by human activities and urged unions and governments to confront its impact on public services, especially healthcare.
Presentations during the forum highlighted health workers’ experiences of climate‑related risks, including heat stress, flooding of facilities, environmental hazards, and exposure to unsafe conditions, particularly in underserved and rural areas.
GNA
05 May 2026
Edited by Samuel Osei‑Frempong