“If the Opoku-Adusei’s administration is not careful; I don’t want to go into his co-efficient of personal and political biases but that is not important at this stage…there are far more savvy people within the GMA who can remedy the association from this predicament”
These are words of Dr. Edward Omane Boamah, Communications Minister reacting to the GMA’s stand of not calling off their strike action even though the Ministry of Finance has ordered for the money to be paid.
According to him, if the members of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) follow the leadership and decisions of Dr. Kwabena Opoku-Adusei, President of the GMA, the image of the association will be marred.
He blamed the President of the GMA for luring his members in the wrong direction and aggravating the woes of the association as well as the country through so many strike actions.
Dr Opoku-Adusei in an interview with the Ghanaian Times newspaper, indicated that even though they have received a letter from the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning ordering the Controller and Accountant General to pay arrears of last year’s market premium, its members will not call off their strike action because the issue of conversion difference is still pending.
Contributing to discussions on Metro TV’s Good Morning Ghana, Dr Omane Boamah said GMA should have made Ghanaians aware that even if the Ministry of Finance gives a directive that the money be paid, they will not call off the strike.
“Doctor Opoku Adusei’s administration would have to be extremely careful in terms of how they sink the image of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA)…if you are not careful, in projecting your genuine concerns, you may mess up the image of the association. The GMA has to reposition itself otherwise it is being eroded. Why didn’t the GMA come out to indicate that it was not the letter from the Finance Minister to the Controller and accountant general...was what they were waiting for to call off the strike…?
I believe the medical profession and those who belong to the medical association can rise above this kind of leadership and corporate better with the ministry of finance and all those who are dealing with this issue…” he said.
However, in a quick rebuttal on the same programme, General Secretary of the GMA, Dr. Frank Serebour said it was wrong for the Minister of Communication to think that Dr. Adusei is controlling members of the GMA.
He said the association has a mind of their own and when it comes to strike actions, Dr Adusei is not the one who calls for it; ‘it is the council that sits to vote’.
“Dr Opoku Adusei is the president of the association and he does not determine when we go on strike or not. He doesn’t call for strike actions; …If you sit and personalize the issue and make it appear as if members of GMA are puppets being controlled by Dr. Adusei; that is not right” he indicated.
He rather advised Dr. Omane Boamah to rather plead on behalf of the GMA to ensure that the issues are resolved; “please stick to the issue and don’t personalize it. Dr Opoku Adusei alone cannot say that we should go on strike then we will just follow him. Let us all be circumspect in what we say and not portray people to be what they are not”
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