In a statement issued after a meeting of the National Executive Council of the GMA, the Association stressed that “there should be a speedy and amicable solution to this impasse,” in the interest of the nation.

[contextly_sidebar id=”JkQ3XFWuOSz6lSXm8IsEy26byhYPCioi”]The facility has been idle since the commissioning of its first phase  in January 2017, because authorities of the University are at odds with the Health Ministry on who should manage the facility.

Cabinet is believed to have met over the operationalization of the facility, and other abandoned health facilities across the country this past Thursday.

“The GMA, therefore, calls on His Excellency the President of the Republic of Ghana to speedily intervene to bring an immediate resolution to this matter. This would ensure that the facility is as quickly as possible started to offer the much-needed health services and research it was designed to offer, and also generate the necessary income,” the Association’s statement said.

The statement expressed its dissatisfaction with the delays associated with the granting of financial clearance for medical officers.

It also called on the government to “rectify this administrative bottlenecks immediately to enable these medical officers to begin work, and also take all necessary steps to prevent future occurrences.”

Background

The UG Medical Centre, which has its first phase completed and ready to commence operations, was inaugurated by former President John Mahama in 2016.

Whereas the University believes processes leading to the construction of the facility gives it a direct oversight role of the Medical Centre, the current Ministry of Health under the Akufo-Addo government thinks otherwise.

A Deputy Minister of Health, Kingsley Aboagye Gyedu, had earlier said government currently needs about $6 million to make the facility operational, and an additional $50 million to complete the phase two of the project.

Fight for UG Medical centre

The immediate past Vice Chancellor of the University of Ghana, Professor Ernest Aryeetey, has also charged the current university administration to fight to ensure that they have overall control of the Medical Centre.

“The University needs to stand up and fight for what is rightfully its property,” he noted in a Citi News interview.

1,400 staff were shortlisted

A former Deputy Health Minister, Rojo Mettle Nunoo, has said about 1,400 personnel had already been shortlisted and ready to be recruited as staff of the Medical Centre before the John Mahama administration was kicked out of office.

According to him, a total of 28,000 applied to work for the Centre, out of which 1,400 were selected.

Mr. Nunoo said the previous government had an adequate plan in place on the way forward for the Centre, adding that all was set for the facility to be operational before the NDC left office.

“Government will pay salaries so we got the Public Service Commission to agree to the establishment of the hospital and 28,000 people applied to be staff of the hospital. We did interviews and the first round of over 1,400 or so people were identified and appointment letters were going to be given. The Fair Wages Commission had also agreed with the salary structure of the hospital and given approval,” he said in a Citi News interview last week.

Citi News has in the last few days exposed a number of health projects undertaken by successive governments which cost the taxpayer several millions of dollars but have been abandoned.

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Nana Addo must end UG Medical Centre impasse – GMA appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

In its first comments on the escalating health concerns in the senior high schools, the Association also called for better links between schools and health facilities.

[contextly_sidebar id=”VV2BB9lrtiLKQjziFTbD495xAmF24tgq”]”We reiterate our previous call to the government for the setting up of at least 2 national infectious disease centres – one in the southern sector, and the other in the northern sector to facilitate prompt diagnosis, service delivery, research and teaching.”

“The linkage of the school health system to specified facilities must be strengthened, the statement added.

SHS deaths

The diseases that have been noted in afflicted senior high schools so far are meningitis and the H1N1 pandemic strain of Influenza, also known as swine flu.

The deaths have occurred in both in the northern and southern zone of the country, starting with the suspected outbreak of swine flu at Kumasi Academy in the Ashanti Region where four students died.

This was followed by another death at the Koforidua Secondary Technical School in the Eastern Region, and another at the Damango Senior High School in the Northern Region from meningitis.

Health officials in the Ashanti Region and the Eastern Regions have since said they have contained the spread of the various diseases.

The latest death has been recorded at the Bawku Secondary Technical School, also from meningitis.

A final year student of the Kpone Community Senior High School in the Kpone-Katamanso District of the Greater Accra Region has also been reported dead but the cause is unconfirmed.

Protocols for emergencies

The Association expressed further concern with the country’s emergency preparedness, and noted that, “the inadequate supply of personal protective equipment and other medical logistics needs to be improved.”

Of concern to the GMA is also the public engagement on the various outbreaks, which it said must adhere to protocols so as to avoid fueling panic.

“Politicians and the media should be circumspect in the handling of technical issues and allow professionals to, as much as possible, handle such matters. The communication of conflicting positions during such emergencies fuels panic and unnecessary anxiety in the public, and this hampers scientific work.”

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By: Delali Adogla-Bessa/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post Infectious disease centres needed in northern, southern zones – GMA appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

It has since given the government a 5-month ultimatum to address the matter.

[contextly_sidebar id=”GB7B4assdEnYvApIivXiyddkCDa80FTy”]Doctors across the country in 2015 embarked on a nationwide strike that lasted a month, to demand negotiated and signed conditions of service documents.

The strike was called off following assurances their concerns were being addressed.

Several months after, the market premium is yet to be completed amidst reminders and threats from the Medical Association.

The Association, however says if the government does not fully implement the market premium by April 2018, it will take action.

Speaking the 59th annual and scientific meeting in Kumasi, newly elected President of the GMA, Dr. Frank Ankobeah, says members will ensure all outstanding issues are resolved.

“In the ruling of the National Labour Commission (NLC) in a compulsory arbitration in November 2011, the market premium was a percentage of the basic salary of the doctors. The above ruling was implemented for only a year, after which the government unilaterally decided to make it a fixed figure contrary to the ruling of the NLC. The GMA therefore decides that if all the issues of full implementation of conditions of service and market premiums together with the related matters of conversion difference and reduced pensions are not dealt with by the government immediately, the GMA by 1800 GMT April 30, 2018, will begin a series of activities that will definitely affect the current industrial climate,” he said.

Meanwhile, the Ghana Medical Association and 11 other labour unions are calling on the government to transfer their pension contributions spanning 2010 to 2016, to their custodian banks rather than being kept in their temporary pensions account where it accrues no interest.

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By: Jonas Nyabor & Hafiz Tijani/citifmonline.com/Ghana

The post GMA threatens gov’t over market premiums appeared first on Citi 97.3 FM - Relevant Radio. Always.

According to the Minister of Employment and Labour relations, the process to ensure the transfer of the monies into the registered schemes of the workers have started.

[contextly_sidebar id=”Aa4FZYTQrrlsrqn5PtvZTIhxL449wRNN”]His comment was in reaction to threats from twelve labor unions to embark on a strike over the transfer of their monies which has been in arrears since 2010.

The labor unions gave government up to Wednesday, November 16 to commence the transfer process but according to the Minister, the government is committed to ensuring that their concerns were addressed to maintain the sanity of the labor front as soon as possible

Haruna Iddrisu, in an interview on the Citi Breakfast Show, said, “Government has transferred the money to the National Pensions Regulations authority. The bone of contention is whether we should transfer it to the custodian bank or the controller and accountant general. The workers, pursuant to the law and per the provisions of the law of the second tier insist that it must be a direct transfer from the controller and account general. I do pray and hope that we get through with the other party of it today, which is about reimbursement.”

He added that government taking measures to ensure that monies kept in the pensions’ account at the Bank of Ghana were properly accounted for and interests accruing on it.

“I ask them to keep the industrial peace and harmony of the country and to keep the sanity of the labor environment to ensure that there is a peaceful industrial atmosphere before, during and after the elections but trust that every commitment we have made in the roadmap will be honored by government,” he said.

Background

A meeting between the various labor unions including the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), and the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT) on Tuesday, November 15 on the matter ended inconclusively with the Unions threatening a strike.

The Chairman of the Forum of Public Sector Labour Unions and Executive Secretary of CLOGSAG, Dr Isaac Bampoe told Citi News in an earlier interview that “our demand was that the second tier should be transferred to our custodian banks but as we speak now, nothing has been done…If it is transferred tomorrow then we do not have a problem but if not then we will have a meeting on the 16th to decide the way forward.”

He added that, “The communique that was issued was very clear that if by 16th nothing happens then we are going to lay down our tools. What we are saying is that the money should be transferred to our custodian banks. We started this fight two years ago.”

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By: Jonas Nyabor/citifmonline.com/Ghana
Follow @jnyabor

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