Act swiftly to end doctors' strike - Group urges President
The Coalition of Young Liberals (COYLIB) has called on President John Mahama to move quickly to end the doctor’s strike, which has entered its third week.
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In a press release issued Monday, COYLIB said an end to the strike was necessary to alleviate the suffering of Ghanaians.
Read the press release below:
The doctor’s strike: government sleepwalking-COYLIB
COYLIB is disappointed at the continuous and deliberate attempt by Government to stall the negotiations over the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) conditions of service.
We find the comment and statement made by H.E President Mahama over the Doctors strike as laughable and unfortunate with an excuse that his government has no money.
This is not the first time doctors have felt coercive to strike. Almost previous doctor’s strikes have followed breakdowns in communication due to bad faith exhibited by Government negotiators.
COYLIB, can state categorically that, the Government of Ghana is on a conscious path to deny the Doctor’s of the republic their fair share of the national cake.
President Mahama claims the GMA demands were not factored into the yearly budget and that makes it illegal for GMA to proceed on strike.
It is unjustified for a sitting President to throw tantrums in the midst of issues confronting Ghanaians; from dumsor crisis, high cost of living, corruption and labour agitations etc.
The questions we asking: was the Ministry of Health factored in the yearly budget? How much was allocated to the Health Ministry? Which component under the Ministry of Health never came out clearly in the budget?
We call on H.E. The President to take personal responsibilities and ownership of the crisis and ensure communication between the parties are resume immediately without further delay; by re-establishing a level of credibility amongst the negotiators.
The President and his administration should not forget that any serious epidemic in the country would wipe both the rich and the poor irrespective of your social status.
As we continue to fight and eradicate Ebola in the subregion, it will be imperative and utmost priority to help resolve the demands of the GMA.
Our position is that;
We call upon the President to act swiftly and end this continuing threat to our health system
We call on GMA to re-think of their position and save the nation
We call on the Council of State and the Peace Council to act as mediators
COYLIB makes this special appeal to our doctors, currently on strike, to alleviate the sufferings of Ghanaians by de-escalating the strike to allow for the treatment and urgent cases.
We however, would crave the indulgence of GMA to exercise much restraint on behalf of the good people of the republic and show empathy in calling the strike to an end.
COALITION OF YOUNG LIBERALS (COYLIB)
COYLIB LEADERSHIP
