Mahama’s comment on doctors strike, a wrong move – Dr Amoako Baah

The Head of Political Science Department of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Dr Amoako Baah says President John Mahama’s public posturing over the ongoing strike by public sector doctors is likely to aggravate the industrial action undertaken by the medical experts.

He said the manner in which the President brushed aside the doctors’ request could anger the doctors and may well provoke them to extend their strike action.

President John Mahama has indicated he will not authorise any expenditure on wages not provided for in the budget for both workers and Article 72 office holders.

John Mahama said the demands by the Ghana Medical Association will adversely affect the Single Spine Pay Policy and urged them not to wreck the gains made to achieve fiscal discipline.

He noted that any unbudgeted payment made to the doctors would open the floodgates for others in the health sector to make demands that will lead to distortions in the Single Spine Salary Structure.

The president’s comments come a week after doctors embarked on a strike action over the absence of better conditions of service. They’ve threatened to resign en bloc if their demands are not met.

However speaking to Starr FM Thursday, Thursday Dr Amoako Baah faulted the President for his reaction describing his comment as unfortunate.

“It is unfortunate because he is not supposed to do that, when you are engaged in negotiation with another party, you [don’t] come out and make a unilateral statement like this…he should have stayed out of the fray.

Amoako Baah added “now he says no matter the political cost, he shouldn’t look at everything like this, it is for the well-being of the country, can we do without doctors, nurses, the pharmacists and now UTAG has joined the fray, what is he going to do, just sit there and let the country grind to a halt”.