The Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD) has categorically stated that it cannot be blamed for the non-payment of the 11-month salaries of junior doctors across the country.
The Director of Payroll at the CAGD, George Baah on Eyewitness News revealed that the Department has it has in its possession, the documents of only three junior doctors which are currently being processed to enable them receive their July salaries.
“Per our documents, we have only three doctors whom we received their document last week… We do not have records for the 90 doctors,” he said.
[contextly_sidebar id=”VyroXCZw86xRD6hAdeutQdbj1QKG6v82″]91 junior doctors serving at various hospitals across Ghana are demanding the payment of their salaries after working for 11 months with no pay.
The representatives of the junior doctors reportedly met with the Controller last week but according to their spokesperson, Dr. Nana Kissi Attafah, the deal they were offered was unreasonable – a one month salary and a directive to individually apply to the CAGD for their remaining arrears to be paid.
Mr. Baah however insisted that the problem is not from his end.
“Let us be clear as to where the problem is. We need to find out from them where they have gotten to in terms of the processing of their documents. For all you know, they may not have gone through the biometric process. It is a pre-condition for being on the mechanized payroll,” he said.
Explaining the processes one has to go through in order to be listed on the government payroll, Mr. Baah said: “After going through the biometric registration process at the Ministry of Finance, the data will then sent to use for us to process their salaries.”
‘Occupy’ CAGD not to cause trouble
The aggrieved junior doctors have threatened to occupy the offices of the CAGD from July 27 until they are paid.
Their spokesperson, Dr. Nana Kissi Attafah on Eyewitness News clarified occupying the offices of the CAGD does not mean they are going to cause trouble.
Instead, they are gathering every single document concerning their lives including their birth certificates for submission to the Controller.
“Every single legal document about ourselves and we are coming individually from various parts of this country to give them the documents and wait in their offices for them to enter everything that they need and pay us our dues because this violation of our human rights cannot be allowed to fester.”
“The only thing we cannot give them is our death certificate because we are not dead yet,” he added.
There is precedence
Dr. Nana Kissi Attafah remarked that they are insistent on getting the matter resolved because “there is precedence.”
He claimed that their seniors experienced a similar fate and up till now, some are still waiting to be paid their 2-year salary arrears.
“The whole system is very messed up that if you succumb to this whole trap of coming to individually apply for your arrears, you would have to go through a whole lot of processes and sometimes, you would have to push money to somebody somewhere to push your documents for you.”
By: Efua Idan Osam/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @osamidan