4000 Doctors Of The Ghana Medical Association Planning To Withdraw Services From Government On Republic Day | This Government Is Truly Insensitive

It is a measure of the general incompetence and the sheer indifference and of this government to the plight of the ordinary Ghanaian that we are five days away from the crippling of the health sector of this country.

The Ghana Medical Association is planning an en masse defection from the public health service to coincide with Republic Day, July 1 2015. On the day that Ghana would turn 55, 4,000 doctors are planning to lay down their tools and leave millions of Ghanaians without health care.

There is a planned meeting of the association’s executive council to decide if they should go ahead with the decision, but assuming they do government has less than a week to meet their demands.

It is another debate as to whether it is ethical for doctors to lay down their tools when people would most likely die, but independent of that we have to look at the government that would look unconcerned whilst such a dire event approaches. The doctors have certain grievances and months of negotiations haven’t yielded any success.

Considering government’s handling of other labour issues, I am not surprised a deal is not being reached. Their default position is to demonise the profession that is on strike in the public domain, try to win public sympathy whilst providing little in the form of acceding to their demands.

In many ways that would be understandable, but not for a government that has run the economy down so much and just looks unconcerned as corruption scandal after corruption scandal hits them. When money is being wasted willy-nilly like that, I think we can spare a little for our very hardworking professionals.

This crisis might be averted- the doctors might decide the upcoming action contradicts their oath, or they might reach a deal with government. Still, it wouldn’t change anything- it should be an unforgivable offence for any government to let it come within five days of losing the entire health sector.

Because that is what would happen if doctors all across the nation withdraw their services- it would affect millions of people. Hundreds, perhaps thousands would die in the ensuing pandemonium; and I don’t know how you replace an entire doctor’s roster.

This has been a long running issue, and to culminate in the resignation would make a mockery of any undeserved celebration we have planned for July 1. Even if it is averted, how far it has gone is just one more bit of evidence, as if any more were needed- that this government has just lost it.