The Ghana Medical Association has warned that it will be forced to take action if the management of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) and the Ministry of Health give in to the demands of laboratory scientists at the hospital for the removal of two specialists who were posted to the department two years ago.
The association in a statement said the demands of the lab scientists are “ill-informed and unacceptable.”
GMA said the lab scientists do not have the prerogative to decide who should be assigned any responsibility or where staff are to be posted to, hence cannot insist that the two medical specialists should be moved from the LSD and the Haematology Unit.
“The demands by the Ghana Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists (GAMLBs) KATH chapter to have these Haematologists (Laboratory Physicians) who are currently at post at the laboratory removed and further going on to threaten an industrial action if their demands are not acceded to by the hospital management is ill-informed and completely unacceptable,” the GMA statement said.
It said it stands against the threats and harassment being meted out to its members everywhere including the two at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.
“We will not stand aloof while our members are threatened or harassed wherever they find themselves… We hereby serve notice to the Ministry of Health, the management of KATH and all other stakeholders that the GMA will respond appropriately should this illegality on our members be acceded to,” it added.
While urging all of its members across the country to be on standby for a directive on the ongoing issue, the Ghana Medical Association said it is confident in Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital’s ability to address the issue and create a favourable working environment for its staff.
“The GMA calls on all doctors and dentists in the public sector to standby for further directives in this regard. This unfortunate situation when on Labour Union threatens the members of another should stop forthwith,” it added.
Meanwhile, the members of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital Chapter of the Ghana Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists (GAMLS-KATH), have officially declared a one-week sit-down strike starting Thursday, May 20, 2021, over the matter.
They insist that should authorities fail to agree to their demands, they will take further action.
