GMA holds emergency meeting on Friday on strike and road map to resignation
The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) will hold an extraordinary general meeting on Friday, August 14, 2015 to review the current strike and the road map to the planned mass resignation of doctors in public health facilities.
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It has, subsequently, asked its members to remain calm and steadfast in what it describes as “turbulent times”.
A statement jointly signed by Dr Kwabena Opoku-Adusei and Dr Frank Serebour, the President and the General Secretary, respectively, of the GMA, said the decision was taken at the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Koforidua yesterday.
“The ongoing media war and propaganda launched by the government through putting out of lies and half-truths do not add value to negotiations,” it said.
It said in the opinion of the GMA, that path only led to the inflammation of passions and worsened the situation “and, in so doing, boosts the determination of the GMA to press home our demand for proper negotiated and signed conditions of service”.
Negotiation process
It said the ground rules for the joint negotiation teams were signed between the parties on June 26, 2015 after the GMA had submitted its proposals.
The statement said in response to the progress, the GMA called for an extraordinary general meeting on June 29, 2015 to review its deadline.
At that meeting, it said, it was agreed that the ultimatum be shifted to July 29 in order to give room for the negotiations to continue.
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“As part of the ground rules, both parties were prohibited from making public any document from the negotiating table,” it said, adding, “It was against this background of utmost good faith that the GMA submitted its proposals.”
Government’s bad faith
It said throughout the negotiation process, it became apparent that the government team was not properly mandated and could not take any decisions, citing the chairmanship position of the government team as an example.
It said the GMA, therefore, had no option but to roll out the road map of July 29, 2015 when no conditions of service document had been negotiated and signed as demanded by the general assembly of the GMA.
It explained that as soon as the road map was put into action, the government resorted to propaganda and lies, with the aim of swaying public opinion against the doctors, despite the fact that it was the government that had not shown good faith at the negotiation table.
Holy Family doctors
The statement said the GMA’s attention had been drawn to events at the Techiman Holy Family Hospital leading to the release of 14 house officers from that institution for reposting.
It condemned the practice of heads of training institutions, at the least provocation, threatening or releasing house officers to the Medical and Dental Council for reposting.
“This act amounts to intimidation and an infringement on the rights of house officers to participate in trade union activities, a right which is enshrined in the Labour Act, 651. The GMA will not hesitate to bring its full force to bear on such institutions that perpetuate such inferior tactics on its members,” it said.
It said the current action was intended to find long-term solutions towards labour relations and improve on efficiency and quality care in the health sector.h