Doctors Strike
The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has called for a nationwide withdrawal of services starting yesterday. The doctors said they would not attend to new cases except emergency situations and patient cases for this week.
The GMA further indicated that the strike would intensify, with all services withdrawn if government did not respond to the strike within the week.
GMA President Dr Kwabena Opoku-Adusei told Joy FM government had not been forthcoming in abiding by the National Labour Commission's (NLC) ruling concerning the conversion difference and market premium.
Meanwhile, the Medical Director of the Brong Ahafo Regional Hospital in Sunyani, Dr Jacob Abebrese, has advised the general public to come to the facility with only emergency cases.
According to Dr Abebrese, the move was in line with the directive issued by the GMA advising its members in all public health facilities across the country to withdraw OPD services in protest over their unresolved migration onto the Single Spine Salary Structured (SSSS).
Speaking to DAILY GUIDE in Sunyani yesterday, the director of the largest and only referral facility in the region said management of the hospital had positioned itself to mitigate the plight of the people in the region in the on-going strike.
'We are only going to run emergency services; we don't intend to run regular services,' he said, calling on members of the general public not to delay at all in bringing emergency cases to the facility.
He described some of the emergency cases as women in labour and all children conditions. He also asked the public to hold on for now with non-emergency cases until the issues regarding their strike were resolved.
Management of the hospital yesterday held a meeting with heads of departments, specialists and junior doctors around 4pm in connection with the strike action.
Meanwhile, DAILY GUIDE's checks at various health facilities in the region revealed that almost all doctors in the region's public health centres were observing the GMA directive.
At the Kintampo Municipal Hospital, the Medical Director, Dr Damien Punguyire, said doctors at the facility were following the directives issued by their parent association.
According to him, there were medical assistants attending to fresh cases, while doctors attended to emergency cases.
Dr Derry, the Medical Director of the Sunyani Municipal Hospital, also hinted DAILY GUIDE that the strike was taking place at the hospital, but work was still going on. He indicated that OPD staff was around taking care of emergency cases.
According to Dr Derry, medical officers at the facility were not comfortable with the current situation because they were dealing with human life and hoped steps would be taken to ensure that doctors resumed full work to save lives.
Some of the patients who spoke to this reporter at the regional hospital expressed grave concern about the stand-off between the government and the GMA.
They appealed to the government to, as a matter of urgency, go to the negotiating table with the doctors by giving them what they deserve so they return to the consulting room to attend to patients.
FROM Fred Tettey Alarti-Amoako, Sunyani