Junior Doctors Get Pay

AN AMOUNT of GH¢542,895.12 is said to have been released by the Controller and Accountant General's Department for the payment of 11 months' salaries of 64 junior doctors from various government hospitals in the country.

Government released the money as promised the junior doctors on Wednesday for onward transfer into their various bank accounts after several unheeded efforts by the junior doctors.

The remaining 27 doctors whose names were not on the mechanised payroll of the department are expected to receive their salary from their various healthcare institutions.

This swift response from government follows the picketing at the Controller and Accountant General's Department Monday morning by the 91 affected junior doctors in demand of their salaries.

The assembling of the group at the department attracted the attention of the police, Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, Haruna Iddrisu and the Deputy Minister of Health, Dr Victor Bampoe, who assured them of the swift response to the issue.

Some doctors have confirmed notifications from their various banks with respect to their salaries, while others are yet to get theirs.

Spokesperson for the group, Dr Nana Kissi Attafuah, as at Thursday noon in an interview with DAILY GUIDE said, 'As we speak, 29 people have received confirmation from their bank with eight cashing their money.'

Dr Attafuah added that the 27 other doctors who are yet to be put on the mechanised payment system, 'moneys have been sent to the institutions for them to be paid.'

He, however, noted that 'we are told the Bank of Ghana has made payments to our banks…We are being told delays are as a result of differences in payment systems at the various banks and that the banks are confirming with Controller and Accountant General's Department.

'We are hoping all these technicalities would be resolved so that by Friday everybody would be paid,' he said.

Mr Iddrisu, addressing the doctors on Monday, mentioned a long term plan between the Ministry of Health, healthcare institutions and Controller and Accountant General's Department to avoid such situations in the future.

He said per the new plan, health institutions would be required to bring the list of junior doctors who would be undertaking their one year service two months before their posting.

This, he said, would help the Ministry of Health to validate their names and send it to the Ministry of Finance for clearance within two weeks so the Controller and Accountant General's Department can include their names on the payroll as soon as they start work.

'This I believe will solve this perennial problem of doctors not getting their salaries,' he said.

By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri