The total withdrawal of services by the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) in public hospitals have left the Out Patients Departments (OPD) empty with nurses very little to do.
The strike embarked on by the doctors has entered its third week with the doctors withdrawing services to all emergency cases as well as OPD cases. They will only be attending to patients on admission until they are well and discharged.
A Ghana News Agency visit to the Ridge Hospital saw empty benches at the OPD whilst a few doctors were seen doing their normal routine rounds in the wards attending to patients on admission.
Whilst some nurses were seen following the doctors on their rounds, others were seen sitting idle.
The OPD of the accident centre was empty, but few pregnant women were seen at the antenatal clinic waiting for their doctors to attend to them.
“Hmmm!, I had an appointment with my doctor and I am here to see him. Many of my colleague pregnant women have gone home because the doctors are on strike. I have a peculiar case and I have to see him today”, Ms Nancy Otto told the GNA.
In an interview with the Chairman of the Greater Accra Division of GMA, Dr Frank Owusu-Sekyere told the GNA that the strike was on-going and the leadership of the Association was willing to meet government resolve the issue.
At the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, the situation was not different. A GNA Visit to Children’s, Medical and Surgical blocks saw their OPD’s virtually empty.
The Maternity’s OPD saw close to 20 women sitting idle with their folders. Interacting with them revealed that they were just waiting if a “good samaritan” doctor will come around to attend to them.
“I am not feeling anything bad with my pregnancy yet, just that it is time for my review and I am here. I will wait for a while if no doctors turns up, I will go home and continue with my medication and pray to God that nothing happens to me”, Yaa Dufie Manu, told the GNA.
A source close to the Hospital’s administration told the GNA that contingency measures have been put in place to contain the situation.
In an interview with the President of GMA, Dr Kwabena Opoku Adusei explained that until they receive their monies as stipulated, they were not resuming work.
“The insults, propaganda and lies will not solve the problem, what we should be doing is meeting to resolve the issues at hand," he said.
The GMA on Monday April 22, 2013, withdrew services to all emergencies as well as OPD cases.
This has become necessary as a result of the inability on the part of government to address the issues of conversion and reduced pension of doctors in the public sector.
GMA doctors on Monday, April 8, withdrew all out-patient services and attended to emergencies and in-patients.
They also threatened to withdraw all services including emergency cases from April 15. After series of meetings by government, chiefs and the Trade Union Congress, GMA suspended their intended outright withdrawal of services, and gave government up till Sunday April 21, to address their concerns.
The GMA demands have been centered on government’s refusal to pay current Market Premium on 2012 basic salaries contrary to the ruling of the National Labour Commission, non- payment of market premium arrears accrued since January 2012, to date, non-correction of the reduced pension contributions of its members and non-payment of their Conversion Differences.
