GMA to declare position on strike on Monday

Accra, June 9, GNA - The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) on Friday said it would make its position on the strike action embarked on by doctors in some regions on Monday, June 12 after it had received feedback from various divisional heads.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview in Accra, Dr Francis Adu-Ababio, President of GMA, said an emergency meeting held on June 8, asked various divisional heads to meet their members and deliberate on a roadmap, which was developed on May 26 concerning major decisions within the Association.

He said the roadmap, which was binding on all members, needed to be deliberated upon by them before a concrete decision could be taken by the Association.

He said the emergency meeting discussed a number of issues including the strike action by doctors in some regions as well as that of other health workers.

"We took the opportunity to meet the leadership of the junior doctors, who gave a number of reasons for embarking on their strike action and we hope to include that on our agenda on Monday." Junior doctors on May 26 withdrew their services asking the Government to pay the arrears of the difference arising out of a pay increase from last October to May under the new salary structure in one tranche. Doctors in Accra and Kumasi subsequently joined the junior doctors in the strike.

The Ministry of Health on May 30 issued a statement asking striking doctors to resume work while work was being done for the payment of their arrears in June.

The Health Workers Group (HWG) on Thursday June 8 also embarked on a strike action to protest the new salary structure for the Health Service saying it was demanding equity and fairness in bridging the salary gap between doctors and other health professionals. The health workers have vowed not to go back to work until the discrepancies in their salary structure were rectified.

Members of the HWG include the Association of Health Services Administrators, Ghana; Government and Hospital Pharmacists Association; Health Accounting Staff Association of Ghana and Health Services Workers Union of Ghana.

Others are the Ghana Registered Nurses Association of Ghana; Ghana Federation of Allied Health Professions; Ghana Medical Assistants Association and Ghana Association of Nurses Anaesthetists. At the Ridge Hospital on Friday, Dr Kwaku Sakyi-Obuobi, GMA representative at the Hospital, blamed the Government for not putting in place the appropriate measures before abolishing the Additional Duty Hours Allowance (ADHA).

He explained that the Government should have maintained the ADHA while working out an acceptable salary structure for health workers.

"It was suicidal for them to cancel the two and for five whole months we have not been paid for our services," he told the Ghana News Agency. 93How do we survive with our families?" He asked. Dr Sakyi-Obuobi said 93if the Government pays us today we will resume work immediately".

Mr Kwame Opoku, Health Administrator of the Hospital, described the strike action as 'terrible' that had crippled work in almost all departments.

He said all plans and targets set for the period had been thrown overboard by the strike action.

Mr Opoku explained that the Hospital was not generating any revenue as a result of the strike action but it continued to incur overhead cost such as electricity, water, fuel and allowances for causal workers. He appealed to the Government to expedite action on the impasse to the satisfaction of both parties. 09 June 06