Doctors Strike Action Is "Highly Unreasonable" - Felix Kwakye Ofosu

Felix Kwakye Ofosu, Deputy Minister of Information, has bemoaned the industrial action embarked upon by the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) after meeting with government to resolve their grievances. Speaking on Radio Gold�s �Alhaji and Alhaji�, he described as �highly unreasonable� the doctors� decision to continue the strike action. He explained that the doctors expressed dissatisfaction about how their market premium should be calculated but government through negotiations with the leadership agreed on a strategy to remit their market premium by paying an interim market premium to the doctors. According to him, there is no public service worker whose condition is worse off under the Single Spine pay policy. He therefore lamented the doctors� adamant position to punish Ghanaians when they benefit immensely from the policy. He said though government is taking steps to mitigate the impasse, it finds it extremely unfortunate that the doctors did not heed the terms agreed upon by the labour unions but went ahead to escalate the strike by withdrawing emergency services. To him, �the Ghana Medical Association has not been fair to the people of Ghana. Indeed, the very people that the Ghana Medical Association is denying treatment are the very people whose taxes are going to be used to pay these monies when the time for payment comes.� He further said government has met all the conditions of the doctors and was consequently taken aback when the President of the Ghana Medical Association announced that the doctors would intensify their industrial action if government does not address some issues they found pertinent to them. He however expressed government�s �enormous respect for our medical practitioners. Indeed, government acknowledges the significant contributions they make towards our national development by way of taking care in a very efficient and professional manner the health needs of various sections of society.�