Junior doctors at Korle-Bu resume work

Accra (Greater Accra), 3 March '99 -

Accra (Greater Accra), 3 March '99 - Junior doctors at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital on Wednesday afternoon resumed work after the intervention of the Minister of Health. The doctors embarked on a two-day strike action saying that until the last doctor in the country received his allowance, they would not work. In November last year, junior doctors who embarked on a strike demanding extra duty allowance as paid to their colleagues in the other government hospitals gave the government until March one to pay the allowances or they would go withdraw their services. At around 1200 hours when GRi visited the hospital, letters of memorandum were being sent to the various departments with copies to the junior doctors calling them back to work. The memorandum was issued by Dr Henry Holdbrook- Smith, Chief Executive, and other heads of department. It read: "As a result of the reconciliatory intervention by the Minister of Health and clinical heads of departments, the management has decided that all junior doctors on strike are to report to work with immediate effect". On Monday, the chief executive issued a statement giving the doctors up till 1700 hours to resume work or consider themselves as dismissed. This statement was issued before the sector minister met the doctors. Some of the junior doctors said they were surprised to hear from the chief executive that they had been dismissed. They said they were ready to resume work after the intervention of the Minister of Health on last Monday but surprisingly, another letter was issued by the Chief Executive dismissing them. "We have not been to the wards to see to our patients because we have been dismissed. We want the Chief Executive to withdraw that letter. "We are prepared to work as soon as we receive a letter from the management to resume work since we have collected the money," one of the doctors said. Mr Kwasi Owusu, Acting director of Finance, said they have been able to pay all the 320 doctors with the exception of those who are on leave. He said the hospital had received 550 million cedis to pay to doctors who had actually worked for it. Each doctor is receiving 960,000 cedis a month after tax. A source close to the administration said the memorandum would resolve the problem once and for all.