Staff of the Upper West Regional Hospital have laid down their tools in protest against the appointment of one Dr. Gandaa, a lecturer at the UDS Medical School, as the Medical Director of the facility.
According to them, Dr. Gandaa refused a posting to the facility in 2006 when he and one Dr. Chris Fofie were deployed to help improve healthcare delivery in the hospital.
Some of the striking nurses who spoke to Citi News believe Dr. Chris Fofie has worked tirelessly for the facility and should have been given the opportunity to lead the hospital as the Medical Director.
They alleged that Dr. Fofie who applied for the position with the newly appointed Medical Director was denied the position because of his ethnicity.
The aggrieved workers have tied red bands at the entrances of all wards of the facility to drum home their demands.
Some posters on the walls of the Hospital had inscriptions like, “We have been taken for granted for far too long”, “Dr. Gandaa refused us when we needed him most”, “Dr. Fofie has done what Napoleon couldn’t do”, and “Dr. Fofie is our life wire” among others.
Reports also indicate that the situation has brought healthcare delivery at the facility to a halt with patients waiting in long queues for care.
The management of the Regional Health Directorate has not commented on the issue for now but Citi News checks indicate they are currently in an emergency meeting with the workers.
In recent times, there have been agitations over the appointments of hospital managers in public health institutions.
There was a similar protest at the Ridge Hospital in Accra, but the medical director in question was maintained after a review of his appointment by the Ghana Health Service.
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By Latif Mahama/citifmonline.com/Ghana