Striking
KATH junior doctors urged to resume work
Accra, May 2, Ghanadot/GNA – The Ministry
of Health, on Friday urged the striking junior doctors
at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), to call off
their strike action and return to work while their
grievances were resolved.
A statement signed by Dr. George Sipa-Adjah Yankey,
Minister of Health, said ” It has come to the notice of
the Ministry of Health that some junior doctors of the
Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) have embarked on a
strike action in connection with the non-revision of
their salaries since 2006 and the delay in the payment
of fuel allowances due them.”
It explained that the prolonged negotiations of the
salaries of doctors, which was started in 2006, was not
confined only to junior doctors at the KATH but affected
all health professionals in the public health sector.
“This matter has, since the assumption of the Minister
of Health two months ago, engaged the attention of the
Minister, in particular, and the Ministry as a whole.”
The statement said work on this matter was on-going and
the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) would be consulted
within the next five days to enable both government and
the GMA to conclude the matter as soon as practicable.
It said in respect of the outstanding fuel allowances,
government had already approved the payment of fuel
allowances to doctors and other analogous grades in the
health sector.
The statement said payment of these allowances had been
decentralized and was to be effected by the respective
facilities from their internally generated funds.
It said “Accordingly, the Chief Executive of KATH and
all other heads of the other facilities are hereby
directed to settle all outstanding fuel allowances owed
to doctors and other health workers within one week from
date of issue of this press release, or where Heads of
the facilities are unable to make payments within the
said one week, they must come to an agreeable
arrangement with the representatives of the
beneficiaries of these allowances. Any head who fails to
comply with this directive will be duly sanctioned”.
The statement commended all junior doctors at KATH who,
despite the resolution adopted by some of their
colleagues last night to embark on a strike action, were
still working to care for their unfortunate sick fellow
citizens and to save lives.
It assured all residents in the Kumasi Metropolitan area
and all Ghanaians that everything was being done to
ensure that there was no disruption in delivery of
health care.
GNA
