Junior Doctors to be paid tomorrow

• Posted on July 28, 2015July 28, 2015
• by Nana Kwesi Coomson
• Comment

Government has reached a deal with 91 junior doctors who picketed at the Controller and Accountant General’s Department in Accra demanding the payment of 11 months’ salary.

At least 60 doctors will be paid by Wednesday, details emerging from a Monday meeting with Employment Minister Haruna Iddrisu indicate.

The remaining doctors will received all their salary plus compensation in August 2015.

The Finance Minister Seth Terpker had said on Joy FM’s Newsfile, the doctors will be paid in two weeks, a promise which was rejected by the doctors.

Another Friday deadline from government was also rejected until the latest offer of Wednesday payment for a majority of the doctors was accepted.

Picking out the mood of the doctors since the deal was clinched, Joy News’ Felix Akoyam says majority of them are okay with the deal.

But the leaders have vowed they will return if their accounts do not bulge with 11 months worth of work by 4;30pm Wednesday. They say it will signify a lack commitment on the part of government to uphold the agreement.

The Junior doctors have not been paid since they graduated from Medical school and began their 1-year Housemanship training with some government hospitals across the country.

The unpaid 91 had followed up with their warning last Friday that they will be stationed at the CAGD Monday. They vowed not to leave until every pesewa owed them was paid.

Donning their white garb, some of the doctors visibly looked exasperated.

To measure the impact of the strike, Joy News toured some selected hospitals. It showed a mixed impact of the 91 doctors’ strike

Medical doctors at the Sunyani Government hospital in the Brong Ahafo region are struggling to attend to patients as the effect of the junior doctors strike begins to bite. Fifteen junior doctors from the hospital had joined the Accra picket.

The 17 specialists at the hospital have doubled their workload by providing frontline medical assistance as well as professional consultations.

“Without the junior doctors it will be very difficult to attend to patients”, a specialist told Joy News.

But at the Cape Coast government hospital, there was little evidence that the strike has had a biting effect.

Initially, a contingent at KATH numbering at least 92 were paid after threats to strike.

Left to their fate, the remaining contingent has been battling government officials across the Finance Ministry, Health Ministry and the Controller and Accountant-General’s Department to have their money paid.

Employment Minister Haruna Iddrisu at a crunch meeting with the doctors sympathized with them, noting the delays in paying them was unacceptable.

-joy