Minister jabs striking doctors

Deputy Minister of Communications, Felix Ofosu Kwakye, has launched a verbal attack on the leadership of the Ghana Association (GMA) for allowing its members to embark on what he termed as "killer strike action."

Describing the leadership of the Association as “intellectual dishonest medical professionals,” Mr. Ofosu Kwakye could not fathom why they (leadership of the GMA) should spearhead the striking action of the doctors.

According to the NDC firebrand, it is inhumane on the part of the GMA to embark on such an action.

"Look at the huge sums of investment President Mahama and his National Democratic Congress (NDC) government were investing in the infrastructural development projects and programmes at Ridge Hospital, 37 Military Hospital and Tamale General Hospital among others in Ghana.

"...and the doctors and nurses were aware that if all these projects are completed it would go a long way to improve the conditions of service of medical workers...but the doctors still went ahead to embark on strike to demand money for better conditions of service," Mr. Kwakye said this on Accra based Radio Gold's Alhaji-Alhaji programme .

Besides these, the NDC outspoken minister stressed that government cannot put all its resources into the emolument of doctors only in Ghana.

According to him, his outfit’s investigations have unravelled that majority of the doctors who are certified members of GMA were not aware of the final decision taken by the leadership of the Association.

He claimed that the action by the leadership of the striking doctors was instigated by some politicians from some opposition political parties to discredit the ruling NDC.

Mr. Ofosu Kwakye further claimed that the leadership of the doctors was also making undue demands.

Members of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) embarked on strike last week Wednesday after government failed to meet their demands for better conditions of service.

Since the declaration of the strike, various people including the Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the NDC, Mr. Ade Coker, have criticised them and called on government to consider employing more doctors from Cuba to take over their positions.

Earlier, deputy Communications Director of the National Democratic Congress (NDC), Kwaku Boahen, claimed that 90% of the leadership of the striking doctors were politicians who were only pushing a political agenda.

“I can bet my last penny on the fact that about 90% of the leadership of the doctors are just pushing their political agenda ... hence the reasons why they are making these undue demands,” Boahen said on Asempa FM’s Kukurantumi programme.

“If these doctors' demands persist, then I urge government to just go to Cuba and recruit doctors into the country and pay them. It’s about time we told our doctors, enough is enough! The people of Ghana must rise up against them...,” Ade Coker said.

National Communications Director of the NDC, Solomon Nkansah, also described the striking doctors as “nation wreckers” who were making demands based on their political leanings.

And these accusations, Mr. Boahen said, were a true reflection of the behaviour of the leadership of the Ghana Medical Association many of whom are politicians who work to push their political agenda."

He further claimed that he was surprised the doctors have not acted on their earlier claims to resign en mass.

“I thought they said they would resign…. why are they still working? There are some in private employment so why are they still at post…?

According to him, the doctors were just making undue demands.

But these comments, Nasara Coordinator of the NPP, Kamal Deen, who was on the show, said were unfair as the government can never do away with the services of doctors.

“Is government going to employ monkeys in the new hospitals they claim they are building? Certainly not, so why insult them like that? These comments are unfair,” he said.