Ministry solicits health workers' patience

Accra, Sept. 11, GNA - The Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning on Tuesday said it had noticed some irregularities in the revised health service salary structure and appealed to all parties to exercise patience and cooperate with it, as the issues were resolved expeditiously.

A statement signed by Mr Kwaku Kwateng, Government Spokesman on Finance and Economy said the revised structure showed that salary levels of some health workers had been varied to their disadvantage. The statement said the allocation of the health service wage bill in the 2007 Budget was premised on an initial 45,675 workers on the payroll of the Ghana Health Service, but the number had swollen to 51,556.

Further, whereas the revision of the health service salary structure was authorised on the advice that it would cost an extra 240 billion cedis per annum, the implementation of the revised structure would bring at least an extra 428 billion cedis to the national budget. "The Ministry views these irregularities and this unanticipated burden on the national budget with great concern," it said. "While we sympathise with our health workers in their desire to see the revised salary structure implemented, we are of the view that these irregularities must be resolved."

The health workers are demanding that the revised salaries be paid at the end of September.

The health sector has experienced some turbulence with strikes by health workers at various times to push demands for higher salaries.