GAMLS strike affects public health care in Ashanti Region

The strike by members of the Ghana Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists (GAMLS) is beginning to have negative impact on public health care delivery in the Ashanti Region.

A visit by the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in some public health facilities in the Kumasi Metropolis revealed the closure of laboratories and hoisting of red flags on doorposts.

Some patients who required laboratory test before they are treated were visibly frustrated as they had to travel outside the facilities to private laboratories to conduct the test.

Members of GAMLS are on strike for three main reasons.

They are demanding the establishment of a directorate headed by a qualified medical laboratory professional at the Ministry of Health to cater for issues affecting them.

They also need an urgent realignment of members who were wrongfully placed on the Single Spine Salary Structure to their rightful grade and a revolving fund to assure laboratory scientists of regular supply of reagents and retooling.

Mr Felix Sorvor, Ashanti Regional President of the Association, told the GNA in Kumasi that the strike would continue until all the issues were addressed by the Ministry of Health.

He said all the 800 members in the Region have laid down their tools and would continue to stay out of the laboratories until concrete efforts were made to resolve the issues.

Some of the patients who spoke to the GNA called for immediate steps to address the concerns raised by the laboratory scientists to ensure resumption of work.

According to them, the cost of conducting tests from private laboratory practitioners was very expensive as compared to those conducted in the public facilities and called on the government to show leadership in resolving the issues.