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The Universal Access to Healthcare Campaign (UAHCC) has called for a non-partisan national dialogue to streamline working conditions for all professionals.

This will put to end the frequent labour strikes that the country has been experiencing.

Currently, the Ghana Medical Association, the Government and Hospital Pharmacists Association and the psychiatric nurses in the Greater Accra Region are on strike because of their poor working conditions. The State Attorneys called off their strike on Tuesday, August 4, 2015.

In a press statement signed by the National Campaign Co-ordinator, Mr Archibald Adams, the campaign tasked government, Trades Union Congress and the religious organisations to lead in this process and ensure that all recognised professional associations are represented and a well-documented working condition is agreed and signed by all stakeholders.

The campaign is also urging the Fair Wages & Salaries Commission to take a second look at its job valuation process and the placement of professionals on the Single Spine Salary Scheme.

The campaign is calling on the government and the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) to quickly agree on a workable condition of service to enable the striking doctors to return to work.

There is huge turnout of patients at the 37 Military Hospital, Police Hospital and some private clinics across the country.

The campaign’s checks in some communities in the Ashanti Region show that those with NHIS cards are being turned away from some of the private NHIS-accredited services because NHIA owes them.

The National Campaign Co-ordinator noted that, “Strikes usually end up in loss of lives, which cannot be restored after the strike. We are, therefore, appealing to the doctors to return to their consulting rooms whilst negotiating. Government must quickly work with the GMA to resolve the issue immediately. More lives cannot be lost because of the strike.”

The campaign also asked government to look at the concerns of the Government and Hospital Pharmacists Association.

In a related development, the campaign is urging the NHIA to ensure that it pays the private NHIS-accredited health facilities.
The NHIA has directed to all NHIS cardholders to visit private health facilities for medical care in the face of the strike by doctors in the public sector.

However, some NHIS cardholders in the Ashanti Region have been turned away because NHIA owes these facilities for several months.