Free Press

The Free Press says doctors are trooping to Gambia. In a front page story the paper says reports indicate that the striking junior Ghanaian doctors are finding their own means of solving the labour crisis. The Free Press says some of the doctors, on realising that the government is playing politics with their fate, are contemplating seeking greener pastures outside the borders of Ghana. According to the paper, their destination is the Gambia, where a foreign doctor reportedly receives as much as 5,000 dollars as monthly salary. It quotes what it describers as reliable information , as saying some of the striking doctors have completed travelling formalities and are on the verge of moving out of "this hell fire place of Ghana". GRi

In another story on its back page, the Free Press says the increase in electricity tariffs has added to the woes of the Ghana Water and Sewerage Corporation, which already operates below capacity. According to the paper, at least 85 per cent of operational money from the cash-strapped corporation, is used in paying electricity bills, a situation which has put an enormous financial strain on the corporation. The Free Press warns that if the present state of affairs is not rectified, the corporation will face an imminent collapse since it has to cater for other operational items such as chemicals, fuel, cars and salaries. GRi