More doctors arrive in Ghana to support health sector

Fifteen doctors from Egypt have arrived in Ghana at the request of the Ministry of Health to help in the provision of health care.

The team of doctors is made up of: three Surgical Consultants, two Dentists, a Dentist Specialist, Orthopaedist, Urologist, Pulmonologist, Gynaecologist, two Internal Medicine Consultants, Microbiologist and a Cardiologist.

They are expected to begin work in two weeks.

The doctors who will be complementing the efforts of their Ghanaian counterparts will be distributed across the country to provide the needed care to persons who would need them.

Speaking in an interview with tv3network.com, Public Relations Officer of the Ghana Health Service, Tony Goodman said “the arrival of these doctors has nothing to do with the earlier strike embarked upon by the Ghana Medical Association (GMA).

“We are expecting 30 doctors in all and the other 15 would be arriving in about two weeks. They are simply here to support their Ghanaian colleagues.”

This support by the Arab Republic of Egypt is strengthening the already existing bilateral relation between Ghana and Egypt.

The mother body of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) declared an industrial action for over three weeks on what they described as Conditions of Service. Doctors who are part of the essential service providers were demanding that government makes available conditions of service regarding their profession.

During the over three week old strike, government announced that some Cuban doctors were coming into the country to render medical services.

There was a back and forth between government and the striking doctors in the media but the latter has suspended its strike and they have returned to the hospitals.

Negotiations are still ongoing between government and the doctors. Reports indicate that some progress has been made in this regard and hopefully by end of September there should be a document signed and approved by the two parties about their conditions of service.