Doctors’ Strike: 500 Dead In 17 Days

Data compiled by the Health Insurance Service Providers Association of Ghana (HISPAG) has revealed that 500 people have died nationwide since public sector doctors declared a strike on July 30, 2015 to demand conditions of service.

A report by the Finder Newspaper stated that many of the dead could have been saved as they died while being transported from one hospital to the other.

The number of deaths, according to the report, is believed to be higher than the 500 because many deaths, especially in rural communities, are said not to be reported.

Reported deaths from the Brong Ahafo region alone amount to 47 while the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and the 37 Military Hospital in Accra have also recorded 10 and 19 deaths respectively.

The situation has been aggravated by the shortage of essential drugs at HISPAG facilities due to a 12.5 million debt owed them by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIS).

Doctors have refused to see out-patients or admit new in-patients despite pressure from government, religious, and cultural leaders to call off strike and return to work.

The doctors are demanding better conditions of service, a problem for a government that is trying to cut a large budget deficit in order to stick to the terms of a $918 million aid programme from the International Monetary Fund.

Credit: Starrfmonline.com