Gov’t hindering progress of negotiations - GMA

Government and the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) met on Sunday over proposals for doctors’ conditions of service, but according to President of the GMA, Dr. Kwabena Opoku Adusei, talks broke down due to the position of Government's team.

Although there were earlier reports that the GMA abandoned the meeting, the Association’s President, Dr. Opoku Adusei told Peace FM, that is false.

"Since last week Monday, we've met four times: We met the Parliamentary Committee on Health twice, we also met the Ghana Health Service once," he told Kwami Sefa Kayi.

On meeting the government team on Sunday, he said the Medical Association received a letter from government stating its final position on the negotiations, which he thinks was not the right way.

"They didn't give us room for negotiations because they had read out their final position on the negotiation, so we took it and had to leave to meet the Parliamentary Committee on Health to report to them," he said.

This week, another document purportedly from the government side emerged with claims that government has accepted some demands and rejected others.

There has yet to be any official confirmation.

Public hospitals across the country have been abandoned by doctors who are pushing for conditions of service.

They have threatened to resign from the profession by August 14 if their demands are not met, a move that cause a cataclysm in the health sector.

He said the government should be asked if indeed they had agreed to a 50% professional allowance for the doctors or have given any accommodation to doctors.

"They (Government) should come out and tell all of us the truth," he said.

"The Propaganda, half-truths, Personal attacks and all those things won't help the doctors, government or any individual," he added.

According to Dr. Opoku Adusei, this negotiation is not a problem at all as just a day or two can be used to resolve all the issues surrounding this strike.