Deputy Minister of Health, Mr Rojo Mettle-Nunoo on Wednesday said retired doctors and doctors in managerial positions would be deployed in health facilities to protect lives while government found solutions to contain the fall outs of the ongoing strike by members of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA).
In the meantime, medical and physician assistants had been directed to handle Out Patient Department (OPD) cases, he said, and noted that it was unfortunate as there continued to be a deadlock between the GMA and Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) as what the GMA was requesting was beyond the Government's ability to pay.
Addressing an emergency meeting with stakeholders in Accra to implement President John Evans Atta Mills' directive to ensure that adequate alternative measures were put in place to address emergency cases and the general wellbeing of patients, Mr Mettle-Nunoo said the duty of FWSC was to ensure fairness in salary structures by bridging the gap between the lowest and highest paid worker.
While appealing to doctors to resume work, he noted that in as much as the work of doctors were important they should also recognise that it would be difficult for the Government to pay.
The meeting was held to put in place contingency plans at the 37 Military Hospital and Ghana Police Hospital where the strike did not extend while the Medical Reception Centres of the Military in the Garrisons at Ho, Kumasi, Takoradi, Tamale, Sunyani and Accra have been asked to hold themselves in readiness to assist in the containment measures.
Assistant Commissioner of Police, Dr Godfried Asiamah, Medical Director of Police Hospital told the meeting that the Police Administration had recalled all nurses and paramedical staff in the training schools and would soon recruit available nurses to beef up existing staff.
He said plans were also advanced to increase the hospital bed capacity from 100-150, but now some offices had been turned into wards and contemplating acquiring a make-shift air conditioned tent to accommodate the situation.
Professor Nii Otu Nartey, Chief Exective Officer of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and Professor Ohene Adjei, Chief Executive Officer of Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital said the situation was still the same as OPD services had been withdrawn.
They said in-patients were being taken care of with some emergencies also being attended to and that the situation was seriously affecting their Internally Generated Funds and appealed to their colleagues to resume work.
Dr Frank Nyonator, Acting Director of the Ghana Health Service, said the situation was under control and had requested all regions to send daily briefs and noted that Medical and Physician Assistants had postponed their scheduled congresses to address the problem.
Dr Eli Atikpui, Registrar of the Ghana Medical and Dental Council appealed to striking doctors to resume work and said that in the meantime the situation could be controlled as not all registered doctors were on strike.
He said out of about 3,400 doctors, 50 per cent were in private practice, while about 750 were housemen leaving about 1,645 on strike.
Other stakeholders at the meeting appealed to striking colleagues to end the strike in the interest of God and country.
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