A doctor
Striking doctors at the government hospitals have intensified their action by refusing to attend to emergency cases beginning today.
This followed a directive by the leadership of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), which asked all doctors to attend to only in-patients until they were discharged.
Dr. Kwabena Opoku-Adusei, President of GMA told DAILY GUIDE yesterday that this had become necessary because the issues of the conversion difference and reduced pensions still remained unresolved.
He referred to a press statement of GMA signed by Dr. Frank Serebour, the association’s General Secretary, which reminded all doctors of the second phase of the “roadmap” per the strike action.
“I am directed by the National Executive Council of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) to remind all doctors of the second phase of the roadmap as put up on the 14th of April 2013 by the GMA.
“Per this roadmap, all doctors are directed that, from Monday April 22, 2013, all doctors should withdraw emergency services and attend to only in-patients till their discharge.
“This has become necessary because the issues of the conversion difference and reduced pensions have not been resolved as at now,” the press statement said.
Meeting
After the full declaration of strike, reports emerged on Sunday that the GMA was in crunch meeting with Ministers of Health and Employment and Labour Relations to find a lasting solution to the impasse.
But Dr. Serebuor said there was no iota of truth in the speculation, insisting that the GMA was not meeting any group on Sunday to address the dicey national issue.
According to him, the GMA last met the stakeholders concerned in the matter on Friday to help address the issue once and for all but to no avail.
Dr. Serebuor said the GMA after the Friday meeting were told to wait for a possible feedback but nothing came up as promised.
He said the association did not take delight in laying down their tools for people to suffer but in this matter they could not be blamed for any wrongdoing.
No Going Back
Dr. Opoku-Adusei said they were not ready to budge to calls to return to the wards until the lingering issues raised were resolved.
The doctors’ strike began early this month after they withdrew all out-patient services to signal their seriousness, serving notice that they would only rescind their decision when there was clear evidence that Government through the relevant agencies had corrected all anomalies and payment duly made.
Speaking at a press conference after the 2nd National Executive Council meeting of the GMA for the year 2013, Dr. Opoku-Adusei gave hint of their total strike if government delayed in its decision to consider their demands.
“From Monday, April 15, 2013 all emergency services shall be suspended whilst in-patient care continues until the patients are discharged,” he stressed.
According to him, government’s refusal to pay them the current market premium on 2013 basic salaries contrary to the ruling of the National Labour Commission (NLC) as well as premium arrears accrued since January 2012 to date had informed the action.
He said none-correction of reduced pension contributions of GMA members and non-payment of doctors’ conversion difference were also part of the move which resulted in the reactivation of the road map that suspended the strike action in February this year.
“The National Executive Council will like to put on record that the GMA will not accept any piecemeal and verbal solutions to these problems,” Dr. Opoku-Adusei declared.
The GMA President indicated that their strike action was lawful despite being an essential service provider because the NLC failed to resolve the issue within the 14-day period as required by law.
According to him, the case of the GMA was a very simple one that should have been dealt with last year, but had rolled over into 2013 because the NLC failed to enforce its ruling made on November 4, against the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission.
The GMA, in a communiqué issued at the end of its 54th annual general conference in Cape Coast last year, pointed out that the NLC appeared to lack the capacity to resolve the issues relating to the Market Premium, Conversion Difference (Reduced Pensions Contributions) and other related post migration issues on the Single Spine Pay Policy.
The GMA began a partial strike across the country early this year during which it urged the government to be forthcoming in abiding by the National Labour Commission’s ruling concerning the conversion difference and market premium.
The doctors, however, suspended the strike action following a meeting at the Flagstaff House with government officials
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