Our demands won’t affect 2015 budget – GMA tells Mahama
The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) believes the John Mahama-led administration is not being truthful with Ghanaians over their demands for better conditions of service.
According to the GMA, its demands will not affect the 2015 budget and for the president to make it look like they want to overrun the fiscal plan is a matter of concern to them.
“Our demands are for 2016,” the president of the GMA Dr Kwabena Adusei Poku has outlined in what appears to be a straight reply to president Mahama.
Responding to the request of the striking doctors, Mahama stated: “Any agreement that is reached in respect of allowances or conditions of services would have to be appropriately captured in the budget…and I want to say for emphasis I will not authorize any expenditure on wages and compensation not provided for in the budget.”
But the GMA boss Adusei Poku has clarified, “we are not negotiating for basic salaries. Our demands will be factored in the 2016 budget and will take effect in 2016. That is what the government negotiating team should tell Ghanaians.”
“Our basic salary is not part of this negotiation because it is on the single spine and nobody can touch it. It’s not true that doctors are demanding salaries, it’s not true that we are demanding money from the government this 2015,” he added.
Touching on the withdrawal of service for emergency cases from August 7, Dr Adusei Poku noted: “Whatever decision we have taken we will implement because we never trust government.”
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