Missing baby scandal: KATH doctors threaten not to go beyond 3 patients per day

Doctors at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) have threatened to cater  for only three patients per day, a threat triggered by a recent directive from the Minister of Health, Ms Sherry Ayittey.

The Health Minister asked a doctor and a nurse at the hospital to proceed on leave in the wake of the baby theft saga.

The Health Minister also warned that any health professional found to have been negligent in the missing baby scandal at the hospital will be severely punished.

In a reaction, the doctors have stated, the minimum number of people they are required by the rules of their contract to cater for is three, indicating they will precisely follow the standard regulations.

But Nhyira FM's Ohemeng Tawiah reports that even before the doctors make their threat official, patients were standing in long queues awaiting medical attention when he visited the facility last week - but doctors are reluctant to come to their aid.

The doctors will be meeting Monday to flesh out the work-to-rule action.

Work-to-rule is an industrial action in which employees do no more than the minimum required by the rules of their contract, and precisely follow safety or other regulations in order to cause a slowdown, rather than to serve their purposes.

The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) is in support of the industrial action.

The Ghana Medical Association raised a strong objection to Health Ministry's directive that caused a doctor and a nurse to proceed on leave.

According to the President of the Association, Kwabena Adusei Poku, the sector Minister Ms Sherry Ayittey disregarded structures at the hospital in taking that “unfortunate” decision.

He told Joy FM's Top Story last Friday that the GMA does “not condone wrong doing”, but sanctions must be done within the law.

“We live in a democratic dispensation with rules and regulation,” and expected the Minister to have discussed the ministry's findings with management of the facility.

The Minister's action was “as if we are in a military regime”, he pointed out.