<<Print>>Deputy General Secretary of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has stated that striking doctors will not be intimidated by threats from government to 'sack them'.
Dr Juctice Yankson said government has taken doctors in the country for granted by turning them into slaves instead of employees. “Our employer should treat us as real employees and not slaves because we will just not be intimidated by any minister or any government official.
We are not fighting with anyone but we are fighting for is our conditions of service and nothing more” he stated on Asempa fm Tuesday. Ghanaian doctors are on an indefinite strike over government’s inability to agree on their conditions of service. They have given the government two more weeks to address their concerns or be faced with a complete withdrawal of their services from public hospitals.
The Health Minister Alex Segbefia, at a press conference Tuesday called on the doctors to return to the negotiation table to get their grievances sorted.
He said refusal by these public sector doctors to report to work Thursday will be considered to have violated the Labour Act.
“Effect Thursday August 20, all members of the GMA who have not reported and assumed full duty shall be considered as being on strike and in clear breach of the Labour act” he said.
But Dr. Yankson who called the bluff of government’s call dared government to go ahead and sack the striking doctors since other countries are calling on them "to give us a better conditions of service".
“Intimidation and threats will not solve the issue. In fact, nobody is doing us a favour, and so the employer should also understand and heed to our call. After all, other countries around the globe are willing to work with us and we also ready to go”.
He went on to say that if government is finding it difficult to get them their conditions of service, they should provide the striking doctor’s conditions of service meant for members of the Bank of Ghana.
“If they want the matter to be resolved, just give us BOG’s condition of service and the situation will be resolved’ he indicated.
Commenting on the 500 patients who are reportedly dead as a result of the strike action, the GMA Deputy General Secretary of opined that it’s rather a failure on the side of the government.
“If that report is nothing to go by, then it means government could not handle issues of health care in the country if indeed they claim they are putting measures in place to curtail deaths amidst our strike action.
He however rubbished claims that over 148 doctors voted for the strike to be rescinded.
“It is mere propaganda to say 148 doctors voted for the strike to be called off. It’s just untrue and I think these lies have gone on for quiet too long".
Dr. Yankson continued that “we the leaders of the GMA, tried as much as possible to manage the situation by bringing a counter motion to restore emergency cases which was later withdrawn” he asserted.