We are resigning- Doctors tell government

Doctors have shown a clear intent to resign en masse if the current standoff with government over conditions of service is not resolved.
Out-patient departments at Korle-bu and other major hospitals across the country have been closed since Thursday as the doctors begin implementing a road map after the stalled negotiation with government.
As part of that roadmap there will be withdrawal of OPD services for a week after which emergency services will be withdrawn if government fails to meet their demands, after which they will resign en masse if there is still a stall.
Speaking on Joy FM’s news analysis programme Newsfile on Saturday the Deputy General Secretary of the Ghana Medical Association Dr Justice Yankson said they have served notice of resignation to government.
He was reacting to the contributions of Labour expert Austin Ghammey who has described the action by the doctors as illegal.
Ghammey said the doctors are pointing a gun to the heads of government and intimidating the employer to accede to their proposals, something that is never done in labour negotiation.
He said the doctors must immediately return to the negotiation table without any conditions, and report to the Labour Commission any attempt by government to stall the process.
Ghammey said the doctors cannot declare a strike and still expect to sit on the negotiation table.
But in a response Dr Justice Yankson said “we are not on strike; we are resigning.”
He said government has turned doctors into slaves working at all times without the necessary compensation.
He was also critical of the Labour Commission which he said has been toothless thus far. He said when institutions of state lose their enforcement powers, they also lose their value in the eyes of the public.
According to him, the NLC has time without number ruled in the favour of the GMA but has no power to execute their ruling leaving them poorer as an Association.
Dishonorable Politicians
Dr Justice Yankson also accused dishonorable politicians for breaching the trust and faith of the doctors.
According to him during the negotiation, it was signed that no party should leak any information, be it on the government side or the doctors side, to the public.
He was therefore disgusted that a presidential staffer Stan Dogbe leaked their document to the public without including all the compromises they were ready to make.
He said that singular action was to court disaffection to doctors and make them unpopular.
 
credit: myjoyonline