Govt Pharmacists Still Reject Placement On Single Spine Salary

The Government and Hospital Pharmacists Association (GHOSPA) is beating �war drums� over unresolved issues concerning its members migration onto the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS). According to the association, its patience was running out as its quest for justice, fairness and equity in the pay structure was yet to be resolved by the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC). Unfair placement on SSPP The National Chairman of GHOSPA, Mr Steven Corquaye, stated the concerns of members at the 2014 National Meeting and Scientific Symposium in Accra. �Let me reiterate for the avoidance of doubt that GHOSPA still rejects the placement of pharmacists on the Single Spine Pay Policy (SSPP), the grave imbalance and injustice in the Market Premium regime for various pharmacists and calls on the appropriate stakeholders to, as a matter of urgency, address this protracted problem�, Mr Corquaye said. He said �Our patience, already stretched to its limits, is further being strangled�. Mr Corquaye said the association was going to bounce back to restate its case very soon, adding, �with our facts and convictions, we will not relent in the struggle�. �We will fight to the very end to earn our justice� due. Our silence over the past few months is to afford the state and its key institutions, notably the executive and the judiciary, ample time to look at our issues and resolve," he said. Advice to pharmacists The national president advised the pharmacists to rise to the challenges of the profession, saying, the fallouts, arguments and incidents of the Single Spine struggle, coupled with the passage of new health legislations such as the Public Health Act (851), the Health Professions Regulatory Bodies Act (875), the Health Facilities Regulatory Agency Act, among others, placed a huge burden on the profession. �We must stand up as true experts and leaders in all issues on medicines in our institutions and facilities. We must learn, understand and appreciate government/institutional policies and strategic directions and align our practice, service and contributions with that,� he said. Call for collaboration Speaking on the theme: �Collaborative partnerships of hospital pharmacists for enhancing patient care�, the Director of the World Health Organisation (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Pharmacovigilance, Professor Alex Dodoo, called on pharmacists in the country to seek ways of forming partnerships that would enhance patient care.