It is business as usual, government not demonstrating that we are in crisis – GMA

The President of the Ghana Medical Association, Dr. Frank Serebour, has lamented the government’s lack of proactiveness towards the current economic crisis Ghana faces.

According to him, some government projects which have not been discontinued have shown that the government is only interested in cutting costs that affect citizens and not itself.

Speaking in a JoyNews interview he cited the National Cathedral and the size of the government as expenditures that the government can do something about.

“From all that we have heard this evening, even the cathedral, Evans, tell me what is it about the cathedral that we cannot decide that we have to do away with it for the meantime. What is it about it? What is it about the size of government that we can’t do anything about it?

“My own Ministry, which is the Ministry of Health, as we speak, three ministers, that is a substantive Minister and two deputies. Is there no way we can cut? So essentially government has not shown that we are in crisis,” he is quoted by myjoyonline.com.

He added that the government’s attitude does not depict the crisis the country is in, therefore it should not touch the pensions of citizens.

“It is business as usual, and if you look at the budget as you indicated, everything else is increasing except the fact that the things that are supposed to affect workers and other citizens of Ghana they’re very happy to cut those things. Government flagship programmes, none of it has been affected.

“So essentially, we don’t think that this is the time to use pensions as leverage. Pensions at this time when clearly the government has not demonstrated the fact that we’re in trouble. Clearly, we are not in trouble as far as we’re concerned so why come and touch pensions,” he stated.

He also added that the Chamber of Corporate Trustees must not make a U-turn on their earlier position to negotiate with the government.

He said: “And so, I beg to differ from the position held by the Chamber of Corporate Trustees at the moment as you’re announcing to me that they’re willing to negotiate, I think the position should be clear. In fact, we should not be calling for negotiations.

“Ideally it should have been the finance minister and I have said on several platforms that he doesn’t respect anyone that is the reason why he’s done what he has done. Otherwise, how can you take this decision without involving the stakeholders and actually sitting at the table with them to at least pick their brains and find out how best we can resolve this issue and at least help this country? he asked.

“So, I don’t subscribe to that, I think that Ghana Medical Association stands by its position that we don’t accept this and I’m sure that the other labour unions would hold the same view as I am holding this evening,” he added.

SSD/FNOQ