'Stop the media propaganda and pay the doctors'

The New Patriotic Party's Member of Parliament for Asuogyaman, Kofi Osei-Ameyaw has charged government to stop the media war and adopt measures to get the striking doctors back to work.

According to him, press releases and media debates by government cannot get the striking doctors back to the wards thereby urging government to sit with the doctors to find an amicable solution to the strike action.

He was reacting to many press releases of government on the strike actions by various labour unions and government agents.

Government in its latest release has maintained that the ongoing strike by the Ghana Medical Association is illegal, unfounded and insensitive.

Government has also accused the doctors of peddling falsehood in the media noting their request that their arrears be paid in a lump sum cannot be fulfilled, rather it will be done on three installments.

But speaking on Asempa Fm’s Ekosii-Sen on Wednesday, Kofi Osei-Ameyaw noted that the action of government on the doctors’ strike action is propaganda and therefore charged it to get working to ensure the striking doctors are back to the wards.

He stressed that failure to resolve the matter immediately would see innocent Ghanaians dying so government must be proactive.

“Stop the media propaganda with doctors and sit down with them. If one dies because of this strike by doctors, it would be government’s negligence so instead of press releases, sit with them to find amicable solution. Pay the doctors to go to work because your media war will see innocent Ghanaians dying. Even though there are laws in Ghana, the most important thing is to save lives of people so just pay the doctors,” he bellowed.

He said: “This strike is as a result of the government not abiding by the ruling of the labour commission. Why didn’t government negotiate further with doctors if they thought they couldn’t have abided by the ruling of the labour commission? Is the government above the law? Why flout a ruling of the labour commission as argued by the doctors?”

He described as absolutely ludicrous, suggestion by the Ghana Federation of Labour that the striking doctors should be sacked for flouting the labour laws. “This suggestion is an attempt to create anarchy. It is absolutely nonsense to sack a doctor for demanding what is due him or her”.

The former deputy minister for Trade under the erstwhile Kufuor government suggested that if even government would borrow to pay the doctors, it should do.

“If there are no funds to pay the arrears due the doctors, then the government should go for loan to pay because people’s lives are in danger. What did the government used the resources of the country for, before telling us the coffer is empty? Let’s stop the excuses and pay the doctors,” he added.

The NPP MP further noted: “Why did government pay the allowances of others and leave that of doctors. The only excuse that there is no money is flimsy and unacceptable. So government must pay at all cost and save the lives of innocent Ghanaians”.