Minority Takes Allied Health Professional Fight Against Minister

Minority members on the Health Committee of Parliament has called on the Minister of Health, Kweku Agyeman Manu to take steps to address concerns expressed by the Ghana Federation of Allied Health Professionals (GFAHP).

Ranking member of the Committee, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, made the call after the Minority caucus met with the health professionals at Parliament over the weekend.

The meeting with the Federation was at the instance of the Minority to listen to their concerns and find best ways to resolve the issues between the Federation and the Health Minister.

The Federation has been on a sit-down strike over the non-constitution of the governing board for allied health professions as well as their exclusion from discussions on a new amendment bill for teaching hospitals by Parliament.

They tried on several times to have audience with the sector minister, Agyeman Menu, but proved fuitile.

The Federation have petitioned the Council of State, Parliament and President Akufo-Addo.

After a keen discussing on the issues, the Minority appealed to the Federation to take into account the interest of the citizens and return to work whilst they (minority) engaged the Minister who is a colleague at Parliament.

" We have heard all your concerns and we think they are legitimate concerns. We do not know what the reason(s) of the Minster are but we will plead with you to consider the interest of the public whom you serve and return to work."

"We on our part will engage the Minister who is a colleague in Parliament, we will ask him to try and listen to your concerns, even if he himself cannot get time, he should let one of his Deputies hear you," Mr Akndoh stated.

The concerns of the Allied Health Professional stem from the fact that, the Health ProfessionalRegulatory Bodies Act, Act 857(2013) required the Allied Health Professional Council (AHPC) to nominate four registered Allied Health Professionals to be members of the Government Council.

This, Ignatius Awinibuno, Chairman of the Council of Presidents of the Ghana Federation of Allied Health professionals said could not comprehend the Minister motive of not constituting the governing Board and also sidling the federation from the Amendment Bill.

According to him, the Minister explanation to the effect that one of the Minister had serve on the governing board twice is a total fabrication.

The absence of the governing board, he said is affecting the work and that nothing is working.

Mr Awinibuno also debunked the allegation that the federation has dragged the Ministry to the Labour Commission, stating, it is only one body of the 18 professional bodies that formed the federation to the Ministry on labour Commission.

He added that, the grievance of the member professional body leading to the Labour Commission were total different and has no any direct link whatever with the federation inclusion in the Governing Board.

The GFAHP Chairman said, they were happy meeting with the Minority members on the health committee of parliament and assured that they would meet as a body to deliberate on the appeals of the Minority to call off their strike.

The Federation is made up of 18 members of various professional bodies in the health sector of the country which includes Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists, Physiotherapy Association, Society of RadiographersOptometric Association, among others.