Gov’t must listen to our doctors

DOCTORS over the past years have resorted to strike actions to express their grievances and also in a way get government to address their problems.

SUCCESSIVE governments have all had a feel of doctors’ industrial action which has been one of the major challenges bedeviling the health sector.

AND anytime our doctors lay down their tools, the people who bear the brunt ultimately are the sick people in our society.

MANY a times these strike actions by doctors have eaten into several weeks which situation becomes very terrifying as the sick and the injured who need urgent attention are as a result left to wallow in pain sometimes leading to preventable deaths.

DOCTORS in the public sector are at it again! The news is that they are beating war drums to remind government on the need to pay them their facilitation allowances.

ACCORDING to them, if government fails to pay their facilitation allowances by April 5th 2010, they would withdraw their services effective May 1, 2010.

THE Ghana Medical Association (GMA), which gave government this ultimatum, insists that if government fails to meet their demands by the said deadline its members especially those in the public sector, will be left with no other option than to embark on selective withdrawal of their services.
THE GMA further warned that if by April 30, 2010 no appropriate and satisfactory response had been received from government, there would be immediate withdrawal of services from May 1, 2010.
PRESIDENT of the GMA, Dr Emmanuel Adom Winful, made these remarks on behalf of his members at a press conference organised in Accra recently.
IT is very disquieting to see these things happen from time to time without government finding a lasting solution to the problem.

WE at Today would like to use this chance to urge government to fulfill its side of the bargain regarding the welfare of doctors in the country. For how long are we going to have doctors go on strike before government listens and addresses their concerns?

GIVING doctors what is due them we think will be in the interest of the country because it will save the nation some number of lives that may be lost in the course of the strike action.

IT is in this vein that Today charges the Ministry of Health and its stakeholders to, as a matter of urgency, heed to the doctors’ concerns before the ultimatum given by the GMA.

GOVERNMENT has to come out clean on the matter and solve this problem once and for all to calm down flaring tempers since these strike actions are not in the interest of the state.

FURTHER, the paper will be very happy if deliberations between the Ministry of Health and the GMA on the demands of the doctors begin as soon as possible. Now that there is a window of opportunity we implore government to make good use of it and address the problem immediately.