Engaging Cuban doctors will worsen govt-doctors’ impasse - Fmr. GMA president

Former President of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), Dr Emmanuel Adom Winful has indicated that government’s decision to engage the services of Cuban and retired doctors to assist in healthcare delivery as doctors continue their strike over conditions of service is needless.

Health minister, Alex Segbefia earlier said that striking doctors’ refusal to return to work by Thursday will be considered as a violation of 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.

“Heads of facilities are also requested to provide me weekly updates of which health workers are working,” the health minister said at the meet the press series in Accra.

But Dr. Winful has stated that government has committed the biggest illegality by refusing to negotiate with GMA until they declared the strike action.

“Government has refused to give any channel of communication to address their [doctors’] grievances and the only way they had to get their issues addressed was to go on strike. If the doctors had not gone on strike, government wouldn’t have planned to sit with them to talk about conditions of service. So if doctors are illegally on strike, government has also been very illegal in not giving any space for people to address their grievances. They have committed the biggest illegality,” he told Joy News.

Dr. Winful expressed disappointment in the National Labour Commission (NLC) for failing to resolve the impasse.

Meanwhile public health facilities that were forced to turn away patients because of the strike are to resume full operations today.

A crucial meeting between the National Labour Commission today will determine if the doctors meet government’s 48 hour ultimatum to return to work.