The Residents Society of Ghana have withdrawn Out Patients Department services in all the hospitals across the country in solidarity with the Ghana Medical Association.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the Society stated that the government’s inability to address the GMA’s concerns over condition of service terms for over a year played a major part in their decision to support the Associations strike.
[contextly_sidebar id=”A3vadA94RkgtyFed9FanFgYWJHQC8Ijy”]”Members unanimously resolve that we fully associate with, support and will see to the continuous implementation of the action of the GMA until the the Association is assigned conditions of service for its members,” the statement said.
The GMA’s strike entered the 8th day on Wednesday.
The doctors have been directed to end their ‘illegal’ strike and return to work immediately by the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations.
President Mahama has also stayed true to the “dead goat syndrome” comments he made earlier in the year stating that he doesn’t intend to authorise any payments outside the country’s budget.
The doctors however say they remain resolute and intend to see out the strike until their demands have been met.
The representative of the residents’ society, Dr. Haddi Abdul, in defending their decision to support the GMA’s strike stated that they “want to see the resolution to this issue, but it is unfair for us to work without conditions of service.”
“We are not fighting anybody, we won’t fight the President and we won’t fight Ghanaians. This fight is not against Ghanaians. It is to make sure that the doctors are safe and patients are also safe. We pray that this matter is resolved as soon at possible so that we start offering OPD services.”
The residents also stated that the strike was not meant to disadvantage the patients despite the complaints and urged the government to find a way to amicably resolve the impasse.
“We want to state that this action does not intend to bring undue hardship to patients or their relatives. The request for conditions of service has lingered on our employer’s desk for more than a year, hence we have no other alternative,” the statement said.
“We wish to encourage our employer to expedite legislation for a quick resolution to the problem.”
By: Edwin Kwakofi/citifmonline.com/Ghana