The Media Foundation for West Africa (MFWA) strongly condemns the threats issued by Dr. David Tenkorang-Twum, General Secretary of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), and calls on him to retract his words.
On July 1, 2025, Dr. Tenkorang-Twum appeared on Ghana Montie, a programme aired on Accra-based Neat FM, where discussions centered on the GRNMA strike that began on June 4, 2025. The strike, which stemmed from government delays in implementing the 2024 Conditions of Service agreement, including unpaid allowances and improved working conditions, had a severe impact on healthcare delivery. Patients were left struggling to access essential medical services until the strike was suspended on June 13 following mediation with the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health and government representatives.
Some journalists, in the course of their duty, expressed prevailing public concerns about the strike especially its dire impact on patients and the general public. However, these criticisms did not sit well with the GRNMA General Secretary, who described the journalists as “reckless and dangerous” and went as far as to declare that they were “marked” and that they would “deal with them” whenever they visited public hospitals.
The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) has condemned these comments in a press conference held in Friday August 29 2025 and urged Dr. Tenkorang-Twum to apologize. The MFWA joins the GJA in their call and reiterates that attacks against journalists for carrying out their professional duties constitute an assault on freedom of expression and press freedom, both of which are fundamental pillars of democracy.
