Member of the Ghana Association of Certified Registered Anaesthetists (GACRA) yesterday called off their strike, following an engagement with the Ministry of Health and other stakeholders.
Public Relations Officer, Seth McAndoh, who confirmed this to the Ghanaian Timessaid members were to resume work with immediate effect per outcomes of the meeting.
“The Ministry has promised to address our concerns so we are going back to work immediately and hope that whatever agreement we had would be acted upon,” he said.
The GACRA on Saturday, January 1,declared a nationwide strike mainly over claims of expiry of their operating licences due to their withdrawal of affiliation to the Medical and Dental Council (MDC) in December last year.
The group also raised issues bordering on their conditions of service, restriction of some anaesthesia procedures to tertiary hospitals and change in curriculum of speciality by the MDC in some training institutions.
The strike action led to a halt in booked surgical cases in most public health facilities at the regional and district levels with pressure mounting on the main tertiary hospitals where few doctor anaesthetists operated.
MrMcAndoh in the interview said although members had resumed work, their renewal of licences was still pending.
“This is one issue we hope the Ministry and its stakeholders address in the soonest possible time as part of the roadmap we agreed on.
We won’t hesitate to lay down our tools again if authorities do not ensure that the roadmap developed is followed strictly,” he stated.
BY ABIGAIL ANNOH
