Response to the outburst and unfortunate statement by Dr Frank Serebour, the President of Ghana Medical Association

The attention of the Leadership of the Ghana Physician Assistants’ Association (GPAA) has been drawn to a very divisive and unfortunate statement by the President of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), Dr Frank Serebour at their just ended 64^th Annual General Conference (AGC) held at Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region on the theme “Addressing the Doctor Distribution Dilemma: The Case of Ghana and its Underserved Areas”.

It was thus very astonishing for a whole President of an Association such as GMA to descend so low to the gutters and described other healthcare cadres in the healthcare delivery machinery as disappointed chameleons. This goes to demonstrate that some actors and leaders in the healthcare delivery chain are full of egos. It must be put on record that health service delivery is a teamwork and a form of collaboration where actors are interdependent on each other in the quest to deliver the highest standard of care for the optimal health outcomes of their clients. It is not about only doctors.

Significantly also, the President of GMA must also note that no middle cadre in the health system has provoked medical doctors. These so-called middle level cadres referred to by the GMA President are just also health professionals fighting for their basic rights as key actors and partners in the health system. The monopoly enjoyed by doctors in the health system is history, and this is the stark reality they seem not to appreciate.

The GPAA will be stunned if the aforementioned declaration by President Serebour and few of his embittered cohorts, is the stance of GMA because some few months ago, the two Unions agreed in principle to collaborate on things of common interest to us all. This was buttressed by the two Unions sending representatives to the just ended AGCs held by the two Associations.

It is therefore very bad and dangerous to hear supposed leaders in the health profession speak like the way Dr Serebour did at their AGC. I call on other health cadres to marshal their strengths in condemning his statement in order to sustain the peace and harmony within the Ghanaian Health System and our labour front as well.

To ensure a sustained harmonious labour front and collaboration among health unions and their professionals culminating in enhanced conditions of service and good salaries for our members;

1. The superiority complex must stop while we embrace collaboration as the way forward: Some cadres must not be seen as lesser professionals in the health ecosystem and be described as disappointed chameleons and others as dragons in slumber. This act of feeling superior does not make one cadre a dragon in slumber but rather a blood and resource sucking vampire among other health professionals, thus destroying the friendly health ecosystem.

Vampires are never satisfied with all the respect borne out of humility give to them by other health professionals as leaders in the health system.

He (Dr Serebour) says doctors should breathe fire and breath out stones to ensure that nobody can withstand their might. Our harmless questions are;

1. Can he and his cohorts perform all the tasks in the health system?
2. Does it imply that he is a chief disappointed chameleon as we are aware he lectures some those he described as disappointed chameleons at College of Health and Well-being, Kintampo (CoHK)?
3. Does it also mean he is the team leader of disappointed chameleons as we are aware he works with some of the people he descried as disappointed chameleons in his health facility?

• Doctors must not feel threatened, but must rather allow every health professional to grow along their ow career path to enhance the highest quality of healthcare delivery. The leader of the health team must not wake up one day and say the battle line has been drawn; a call for action against other health professionals as declared by Dr Yorke some few months back.

If there is any battle to be won, I believe health for all by 2030 is what we should be looking at. Getting healthcare services to the doorsteps of the citizenry, fighting communicable and non-communicable diseases, who should do what at which level and at what time, referral systems, provision of human, material and financial resources including logistic, should be of major concerns to healthcare leaders, but not drawing a battle line with other healthcare professions because you want to remain supreme and selfish at all times to the detriment of others.

This position of GMA, as spoken by two of its key leaders (Dr Serebour and Dr Yorke) is unfortunate and we strongly condemn it in no uncertain terms.

For these two major aforementioned reasons, if it is indeed not the position of GMA, but that of Dr Serebour and his few embittered cohorts, then I have these pieces of advice for them;

1. He and his cohorts should withdraw these statements and render an unqualified apology to the other healthcare cadres/professionals they described as disappointed chameleons and midgets.
2. Dr Serebour should gracefully resign his position as the President of GMA since has soiled the of his Association with his unfortunate statement. His continuous existence as GMA President shall be dangerous to the country’s health professionals’ ecosystem
3. The GMA should make sure the collaborative effort we all envisage and aspire to realize among the health professionals comes to light genuinely without any hidden or diabolic agenda.
4. Dr Serebour should voluntarily withdraw his services from CoHK if this is his mindset

Henceforth, we shall be reading deeper meaning into every posture and actions of GMA and its officials.

Until the Health Professions Regulatory Bodies Act 857 (2013) is amended and states otherwise, we shall with the greatest force resist any attempt by anybody, entity (Regulator or Union) that seeks to denigrate and deprive the Physician Assistant fraternity the right to practice medicine and dentistry in this country.

Thank you

EMMANUEL YAW APPIAH

PRESIDENT