Physician Assistants withdraw OPD and emergency services in Upper East

The Upper East Regional branch of the Ghana Physician Assistants Association (GPAA) has withdrawn Out-Patient Department (OPD) and emergency services across public health facilities in the Region.

Even though per the roadmap of the strike, the Association was scheduled to embark on full-blown strike on August 1, 2023 if their concerns were not addressed, the action of members was intensive at Health Centres in Bolgatanga, the Regional capital and across the Municipalities and Districts.

When the Ghana News Agency (GNA) visited some public health facilities in Bolgatanga and across some Districts to assess the impact of the strike, it observed that nurses in some of the facilities headed by Physician Assistants (PAs), had to refer patients to the Regional Hospital for care.

The GNA also observed that there was pressure on the few Doctors at the Municipal and District levels visited.

At the Coronation Health Centre in Bolgatanga, Madam Amponsah Frimpong, the PA in charge of the facility, who was on a sit-down strike, told the GNA that “Our action was not taken in a haste. There has been several dialogues, without any results, so as an Association, we were left with the option of strike since the dialogues yielded no fruits.”

Madam Rahinatu Mustapha Apiigah, a nurse at the vital signs table of the facility, said “We only check patients vital signs and refer them to the next level for treatment. The strike action is really affecting health service delivery.

“The patients complain a lot about the new turn of events. We wish the PAs could suspend the strike and return to work,” she said.

At the Regional Hospital, consulting rooms which were hitherto occupied by PAs, were empty with only two Doctors attending to patients at the OPD at the time of the GNA's visit.

Dr Samuel Aborah, the Clinical Coordinator of the Hospital, said management had to reschedule their duty roster to cater for the vacuum created by the strike action, “We had to rearrange for Doctors to occupy the shifts of the PAs during the day, but at night, we sometimes have challenges.”

The situation was not different at the Sandema Hospital in the Builsa North Municipality, as all four PAs who hitherto conducted ward rounds attended to emergencies and consulted patients were not at post as at 0800hours.

The Acting Medical Superintendent of the Hospital, Dr Emmanuel Opoku, told the GNA that management had to make do with the two Doctors and nurse prescribers in the facility.

“We the Doctors conduct the ward rounds see to emergencies and consult the patients with the support of the nurse prescribers. The strike is actually affecting service delivery,” he said.

The GPAA among several grievances, strongly opposed the Health Professions and Regulatory Bodies Amendment Bill 2023 before Parliament, noting that the Bill when passed, would impose Medical Doctors on members and frustrate their efforts to progress in their chosen profession.

The Association indicated that even though it met officials of the Ministry of Health, and the Minister assured that there would be engagement to address their concerns, leadership intercepted a purported Amendment Bill and its content when passed, could affect health service delivery, especially in the rural communities.

The GPAA noted that the Bill sought to take away the right of PAs from prescribing, practicing medicine and dentistry, and would push them under the direction and supervision of medical and dental practitioners.

Among the several grievances raised in a statement jointly signed by the Association's President, Mr Peter Akudugu Ayamga, and Mr Peter Eyram Kuenyefu, the General Secretary, to declare the strike, was also the issue of more than 2,500 qualified unemployed Physician Assistants (PAs) not posted for the past four years.

GNA