The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has kicked against moves by
government to have district assemblies across the country pay the
salaries of medical doctors. According to the Association, the move
cannot be sustained. The doctors are currently paid by central
government.
Health Minister, Sherry Ayittey says doctors working in the various
districts would be paid by the assemblies. She explains this forms part
of government’s decentralization policy. She was speaking on Thursday at
a stakeholders’ meeting in the Brong Ahafo Regional capital, Sunyani.
"This is the time to assess the capacity of districts to manage these
hospitals. It will not be full transfer but at least it will be cost
sharing, hoping that the assemblies might eventually take over the
salaries of doctors and key medical personnel," she said.
Ms. Ayittey said the project will be piloted in phases in some
assemblies that have enough revenue to support the decentralisation
programme before it is fully enrolled.
"The decentralisation process is to make the assemblies autonomous
[sub-provinces] so the districts should be able to raise their own
resources from taxes...that they can use to support the salaries of
doctors," she said.
But president of the GMA, Dr. Kwabena Opoku Adusei, told Joy News the announcement is "very funny" and a "distraction".
According to him, the doctors will not be distracted by the new
development aimed at covering up government failure to address issues
regarding their conditions of service since 2011.
"It [the decision] sounds very funny and it's coming from somebody who
is not well informed," the GMA president angrily replied.
"Does that mean that eventually MPs [Members of Parliament] must be paid by the assemblies and constituencies?"
"They [government] are just thinking about things that cannot even
work...I think that they don't even need to waste our time on this. When
the time comes we'll see how we will also work according to our
schedule," Dr. Opoku Adusei stated.
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