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The United Front Party [UFP] has condemned the nationwide strike by medical doctors – the doctors have laid down their tools to press home their demands for proper conditions of service.

According to a statement signed by the party’s General Secretary, Nana Kusi-Poku Listowell, the striking doctors must with immediate effect return to work to save lives.

“We upon hearing the strike action were disturbed and were quick to ask whether it was about their salaries.

“…We believe doctors over the years have had very fair share of National Cake with regards salary especially after the introduction of the Single Spine Salary Structure. Hence we want to categorically state that Government of Ghana should not heed to the unthinkable request since we anticipate that it is a recipe for financial misappropriation,” he said

Read below the full statement

The United Front Party wishes to highly condemn the illegal strike action being embarked upon by the Ghana Medical Association. We upon hearing the strike action were disturbed and were quick to ask whether it was about their salaries. We found out that it was to do with Condition of Service which has never been in existence since years immemorial.

Even though is good for workers to have their condition of service improved, we believe doctors over the years have had very fair share of National Cake with regards salary especially after the introduction of the Single Spine Salary Structure. Hence we want to categorically state that Government of Ghana should not heed to the unthinkable request since we anticipate that it is a recipe for financial misappropriation.

Again we think the doctors are gradually trying to find their way out of the Single Spine Pay Policy.
In respect of the aforementioned, we have the following questions to ask;

•How come doctor employees, who form part of essential services group, will form an association called Ghana Medical Association (GMA) and have their executives to call doctors who were individually recruited by Ghana Health Service to go on strike to have human lives lost at the demand of Condition of Service?

•How come Ghana Medical Association in their quest to have government of Ghana grant them condition of service which has never existed, opt to use strike as their negotiation strategy? Why that Approach / style?

•Why did (GMA) not ask for Condition of Service before the acceptance of their appointments as doctors in Ghana.

•Can striking doctors pay for the cost of damages especially lives lost that their actions may cause the people of Ghana?

•Why are they striking at this moment in time that everyone in Ghana knows that the economy of the country is not in a very good shape?

•Why will they not let negotiation start and allow government to even fail to grant them their request before they go on strike but will do the contrary?

•Why is that not all doctors are on strike?

•Why this unthinkable demand by Ghana Medical Association from government i.e. the people of Ghana?

•What have the people of Ghana done to deserve this wicked treatment from striking doctors? etc.

We appreciate that, it is important that like the Oliver Twist it is good for Doctors to ask for more but upon realizing that the Executives of the Ghana Medical Association have taken the undue advantage of their category of being part of the essential services and have sent a huge list of request for negotiation with government of Ghana on their conditions of service, we can conclude by saying they are taken the government of Ghana by ransom which amounts to Blackmail.

We are again edging government of Ghana not to grant (GMA) anyone of their absurd request, since it will set a very bad Precedence for other workers to use the same bad strategy to demand Government to better their CONDITION OF SERVICE.

We also will want to advice all doctors, who are members of Ghana Medical Association to dissociate themselves from their leadership who are bringing their noble name into disrepute and call the other who cannot work to resign.

LONG LIVE GHANA! LONG LIVE GHANA HEALTH SERVICES

LONG LIVE UNITED FRONT PARTY!! LONG LIVE OUR DEMOCRACY