Health professionals to receive extra duty allowance

Accra (Greater Accra) 23 March '99

Health professionals, other than doctors and dentists have been assured of payment of allowances on authorised extra working hours. A source close to the Ministry of Health told the Ghana News Agency in Accra on Monday that a time-table for negotiations in that regard will be issued. The source said the decision came out of a meeting held on March 19 between the Ministries of Health and Employment and Social Welfare, representatives of various health institutions and the Trades Union Congress. The meeting recommended that representatives of the various health professionals negotiate with government, based on their proposals to be submitted for additional duty hours. Mr Samuel Nuamah Donkor, the Health Minister, has given the assurance that negotiations are expected to be concluded by the end of April and appealed to all health professionals to exercise patience, while negotiations continue. Meanwhile, nurses at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital met the Minister on Monday morning on the same issue, but there is no word on the outcome of the meeting. Health professionals other than doctors and dentists on March 18 threatened to lay down their tools, if they were not given allowances for the extra hours they work.