The Controller and Accountant General\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
The Director of Payroll at the CAGD, George Baah on Eyewitness New<\/strong>s 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.<\/p>\n \u201cPer our documents, we have only three doctors whom we received their document last week\u2026 We do not have records for the 90 doctors,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n [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.<\/p>\n 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 \u2013 a one month salary and a directive to individually apply to the CAGD for their remaining arrears to be paid.<\/p>\n Mr. Baah however insisted that the problem is not from his end.<\/p>\n \u201cLet 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,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n Explaining the processes one has to go through in order to be listed on the government payroll, Mr. Baah said: \u201cAfter going through the biometric registration process at the Ministry of Finance, the data will then sent to use for us to process their salaries.\u201d<\/p>\n ‘Occupy’ CAGD not to cause trouble<\/strong><\/p>\n The aggrieved junior doctors have threatened to occupy the offices of the CAGD<\/strong> <\/span><\/a>from July 27 until they are paid.<\/p>\n Their spokesperson, Dr. Nana Kissi Attafah on Eyewitness New<\/strong>s clarified occupying the offices of the CAGD does not mean they are going to cause trouble.<\/p>\n Instead, they are gathering every single document concerning their lives including their birth certificates for submission to the Controller.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery 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.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe only thing we cannot give them is our death certificate because we are not dead yet,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n There is precedence<\/strong><\/p>\n Dr. Nana Kissi Attafah remarked that they are insistent on getting the matter resolved because \u201cthere is precedence.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n \u201cThe 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.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n By: Efua Idan Osam\/citifmonline.com\/Ghana
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