Doctors’ strike enters ‘2nd stage’, as UFP General Secretary sues GMA
The withdrawal of emergency services by public sector doctors, the second stage of their ongoing strike action, took off yesterday in different forms throughout the country.
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The doctors began their strike last week by turning away cases at outpatient departments – the first step in the process towards resignation en masse later this month.
While the boycott of emergency services took some effect at two major teaching hospitals – the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Kumasi, the picture at some regional hospitals showed the contrary as some doctors were seen attending to emergency cases.
Accra
When the Daily Graphic visited the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, although no cases were brought in at the time of the visit, reporters observed that the emergency department had few patients lying on temporary beds at the corridor, while a nurse was seen going about her duties, reports Zainabu Issah and Salomey Appiah.
The usual gathering of family members around the emergency centre was absent. Outpatient departments (OPDs) in the hospital were virtually empty with nurses around going about their activities.
An official source told the Daily Graphic that “the hospital has not been deserted and in-patients are being taken care of while emergency cases are being handled”.
At the Ridge Hospital, emergency cases were being attended to with other medical activities going on but the OPD was virtually empty.
The situation was not different at the La General Hospital emergency centre, Mamprobi Polyclinic, the Korle Bu Polyclinic, and the Ridge Hospital as nurses were seen attending to the few patients that had visited the hospital.
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On why the hospital was empty, a nurse on duty at the La General Hospital told the Daily Graphic that the strike action by the doctors had sent most of its clients to the security hospitals and private clinics.
"Because they know that the doctors are on strike, I want to believe that they are seeking medical attention elsewhere," she said.
Though she could not confirm whether the doctors were working, she said patients who were already on admission were being given the medical attention they needed.
However, sources at some of the hospitals said the doctors were taking care of emergency cases at the various hospitals visited in Accra.
Following conscience
At the Ridge Hospital for instance, a medical member of staff said doctors were attending to emergency cases despite the GMA directive.
He said the only reason why the OPD and the emergency departments were empty was due to the fact that the strike had deterred clients from coming to the hospital, though they were still rendering services to the public.
He said the hospital was located in the midst of ordinary people and as such it did not have the luxury to deny them its services.
Additionally, the source said, the hospital was on the forefront of fighting maternal mortality and, therefore, refusing to take care of the sick, especially the women, was not a good choice saying that “we are following our conscience".
Kumasi
Donald Ato Dapatem reports from Kumasi that some emergency patients who showed up at the Accident and Emergency Centre of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) were not attended to, while other fortunate ones were catered for.
Inside the centre, doctors in their blue medical gear and holding stethoscopes were spotted attending to some patients in the emergency ward.
Madam Serwaa Asiedua, who was sobbing intermittently, said she brought her sick husband for treatment but had not been attended to two hours after stepping foot at the centre.
Medical doctors were tight-lipped and would not speak to the media. But a source told the Daily Graphic that out of sympathy, some of the doctors were providing care for some of the emergency cases.
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The situation was compounded by the partial withdrawal of service by the pharmacists at the KATH.
At around 9 a.m., a time considered the peak period at the pharmacy, a long queue of sick persons and their relatives had formed, with some standing and others sitting, waiting to either buy drugs or refill their exhausted prescriptions.
Although the pharmacists could be seen inside the pharmacy having hearty chats among themselves, they had locked all the counters and doors leading to the pharmacy.
Authorities
Authorities at the hospital were tight-lipped about the strategies instituted to ensure that the limited industrial action did not lead to greater loss of life.
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Information gathered by the Daily Graphic indicated that heads of departments and other management members of the hospital who were medical doctors would abandon their offices and move to the emergency centres and the pharmacies to cater for the patients.
Cape Coast
At the Cape Coast Metropolitan Hospital, the doctors were at post attending to patients, while at the Winneba Municipal hospital, doctors were said to be on duty in spite of the GMA’s directive to the membership to withdraw from emergency services, reports Shirley Asiedu-Addo.
The nurses and other workers were not ready to speak to the press but a source at the hospital indicated that one of the doctors was in the theatre operating on a patient. Others, she said, had worked and closed for the day.
The emergency unit was, however, operating.
Tamale
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Suweiba Yakubu reports from Tamale that doctors at the Tamale Teaching Hospital were attending to emergency cases when the Daily Graphic visited the facility around 9:00 a.m.
All attempts to speak to the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the TTH proved futile as he said they had been given a directive from the Ministry of Health in Accra not to speak on the issue.
A 30-year-old man, Abdulai Muniru, who had brought his mother who was in a very critical condition, said his mother was being attended to and that there was nothing like a strike going on in the hospital.
When the Daily Graphic visited the Tamale Central Hospital (TCH), work was going on steadily as patients in the emergency wards were being attended to by some doctors and nurses.
Wa
Michael Quaye reports that doctors at the Wa Regional Hospital were faithful to their patients despite the call by the Ghana Medical Association to their membership to withdraw from emergency services en bloc across the country.
While officials proved elusive when the Daily Graphic sought the state of affairs at the facility, sources said doctors had been at work all day.
Indeed, at the maternity facility for instance, doctors had delivered at least three women of their babies by noon when the Daily Graphic visited.
One such doctor who emerged from the theatre in the afternoon said "as you can see, I've been very busy so I can't grant any interviews. Please contact the regional health directorate for news".
Across the various government health facilities in the region, the story was no different, with sources who sought anonymity emphasising that doctors were helping out.
The situation in Upper West could be due to the peculiar situation of the low numbers of doctors in the districts.
The region has the lowest number of doctors in the country, with less than 12 professionals filling the 11 districts of the region
Tema
A visit to the Tema General Hospital showed that the usual congestion at the outpatients department was missing. The place looked deserted save the nurses and other health workers on duty.
Most patients, Daily Graphic learnt, had resorted to seeking health care at the private sector.
At the accident and emergency unit, this reporter observed that the nurses were at post and working. A patient who was rushed to the place in a taxi after she was knocked down by a motor cyclist was being attended to.
A nurse told this paper at least a doctor was present attending to patients already on admission.
It was also observed that an ambulance belonging to the hospital and that of the National Ambulance Service were strategically placed to aid in evacuating patients should the need arise.
The Medical Director, Dr Kwabena Opoku-Adusei, who doubles as President of the GMA, was unavailable for comment as he was said to have gone out for a meeting.
Takoradi
Akwasi Ampratwum-Mensah reports that doctors at the Effia Nkwanta Regional Hospital withdrew emergency services but no deaths had been recorded, according to the Head of Administration, Mr K. K. Boachie.
He told the Daily Graphic that medical assistants had been deployed to take charge of all emergencies while the hospital administration had, in addition, put in place strategies to mitigate the gap created.
“They have withdrawn their services. However, the hospital has devised its own means to deal with the situation,” he stressed, but he would not divulge the tactics.
Mr Boachie, however, appealed to the doctors to return to the consulting rooms to save lives while they continued their negotiations with the government for improved conditions of service, saying that “they have legitimate cause”.
He also urged the government to be accommodating with their demands, since the doctors had the right of negotiation.
Sunyani
Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah reports that doctors at the Sunyani Regional Hospital were still attending to emergency cases contrary to speculations.
Although the Administrator of the hospital, Mr Abraham Asare-Bediako, refused to speak to the Daily Graphic, sources indicated that the doctors would begin refusing to attend to emergency cases from Monday.
A visit to the emergency unit of the hospital showed some few patients waiting to be attended to by some doctors at the unit.
Court action
In a related development, Mabel Aku Baneseh reports from Accra that the General Secretary of the United Front Party (UFP), Mr Listowell Nana Kusi-Poku, has dragged the GMA to court over its ongoing strike.
He is of the view that the strike, which began on July 30, 2015 to demand for conditions of service, was illegal in the sense that doctors rendered essential services and were, therefore, not permitted by law to embark on such action.
A writ of summons filed on his behalf by his lawyer, Mr Oliver Atsu Abada, wants the court to declare the strike as illegal.
He also wants the court to rule that there already existed “conditions of service” for medical doctors.
Another relief being sought is an order “compelling” the doctors to resume negotiations with the government.
Statement of claim
A statement of claim accompanying the writ said “the defendant provides services that are described as essential services and, therefore, embarking on a strike action in order for it to achieve its demands is most unfortunate as same is illegal”.
It also noted that to use the demand for conditions of service as the basis for embarking on a strike when the said demand for what it termed “improvement of existing conditions of service is blackmailing not only on its employer but the entire country”.
The plaintiff further averred that there was extreme pressure on the few medical facilities that were currently in operation and accordingly prayed the court to grant his reliefs.