Almost a week after the strike by biomedical laboratory scientists, which has negatively impacted on patients who patronise public health facilities for care, it appears private laboratories are rather benefiting massively from the exercise.
A visit to some private laboratories at Korle Bu showed that business is booming as a result of the strike.
[contextly_sidebar id=”53ZZWLn3l9RbNdTXRfctTDr8OWL0vrl7″]A number of private medical laboratories are lined up along the Korle bu road. One of such laboratories is the Liberty medical laboratory situated 20 meters away from the country’s biggest hospital, the Korle bu Teaching Hospital. Some patients there who spoke to Citi News explained that they resorted to the private facility because of the strike by the public sector.
But for these private biomedical laboratory scientists, business is booming. Justice Donkor, head of the Liberty medical Laboratory admits.
“ On a normal day you could have between fifty and eighty samples but because of the strike we could have as much as a hundred samples. It is making us more money. That is a fact we can’t run away from”.
Few metres away is the Dansoman medical laboratory, another privately run facility. The man in charge who gave his name as Lutterodt says the present situation has further burdened their operations . He explains that they have been forced to extend their working hours.
“Emergency is not working so all those patients are being directed to this place so there is a lot of pressure on us actually. Yesterday for instance we left here around eight but we close at five. We have to sacrifice because some of them are due for surgery”.
Even though they are cashing in on the strike, the biomedical laboratory scientists in the private sector say they are in solidarity with their other colleagues. Most of the laboratories here have red pieces of cloths hanging on their doors.
The immediate Past President of the Association of Private Medical Laboratories, Hudson Afadi Larbie who owns one of the laboratories at Korle Bu believes the Ghana Association of Biomedical Laboratory Scientists is fighting a good cause which will be beneficial to all of them.
“The association of private medical laboratory is in solidarity with our professional colleagues, the mother association. We put the red band there so that people will know that though we are in the private sector, we are involved emotionally and psychologically”.
He bemoaned how the strike was affecting patients and the various public health facilities. But until the biomedical laboratory scientists call of their strike, the private facilities will be outstretched.
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By: Zoe Abu-Baidoo