GMA takes Government on allowances

Accra, Aug. 1, GNA - The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) on Monday called on the Government to take immediate steps to pay in full, all arrears on the Additional Duty Hours Allowance (ADHA) to doctors and other health professionals.

It also asked the Government to ensure that payment of the ADHA for the month of March and subsequent months were based on the new basic salary levels.

"We expect that these demands will be met by Government by 31st August 2005 otherwise the Government will be responsible for any further lines of action doctors will be compelled to decide on", a statement in Accra said.

Dr Francis Adu-Ababio and Dr Kwabena Opoku-Adusei, GMA's Vice-President and General Secretary, respectively, signed the statement, which was issued at the end of the Fourth Ordinary Meeting of the National Executive Council of the Association.

It said though the Memorandum of Understanding governing the implementation of the ADHA stipulated that payment for the allowance should not be in arrears for more than one month, allowance for health professional in most of the regions continued to be in arrears of three to four months.

It said some of the heath professionals, since January have had their ADHA reduced for no apparent reason, adding that doctors were only asking for prompt payment for work actually done and nothing extra. The GMA, however, acknowledged some other efforts made by the Government to provide vehicles to doctors and other health personnel through a car loan scheme but said since those cars were paid for by beneficiaries, "we need and deserve our legitimate incomes to enable us to settle this and other financial commitments without unbearable economic hardships". 1 Aug 2005