Doctors declare nationwide strike

The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has declared a nationwide strike effective Thursday July 30.

The move follows the inability of government to resolve their grievances over their working conditions.

A meeting between government and the leadership of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) Wednesday ended in a deadlock.

The doctors exited the almost four-hour meeting and declared the industrial action. They have also threatened to begin a mass resignation in the coming days.

The public sector physicians have been at loggerheads with government over their service conditions for several years now.

The doctors gave a June ending ultimatum to withdraw their services entirely if government failed to finalise a document that will serve as their conditions of service, but after negotiations began, they agreed to extend their deadline by a month which expired Tuesday July 28.

A statement from the National Executive Committee of the GMA on Wednesday said, “the Government have failed to meet the deadline for completion of Negotiations on Conditions of Service for Doctors working in the public sector.

“…Since doctors in the public sector do not have a negotiated and signed Conditions of Service document as at the said time and date, the National Executive Committee have no option but to roll out the road map as put forward by the Extra-Ordinary General Meeting.

1. Withdrawal of Out Patient Department (OPD) Services starts from Thursday, 30th July, 2015 – Thursday, 6th August, 2015.2. Withdrawal of both OPD and Emergency Services from 7th – 13th of August, 2015.3. Total withdrawal of services from 14th of August, 2015.Meanwhile, all doctors are advised to go by this directive since we cannot continue to work without Conditions of Service.

Members will be updated on any development as and when it happens.”

Signed

Dr K Opoku-AduseiPresident

Dr Frank SerebourGeneral Secretary