Recently, the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) announced a roadmap for industrial action to back the demand for the termination of the sale of sixty per cent of the shares of Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SNIT) in four hotels.
The GMA stated that beginning Monday, 15 July to 17th July, it will withdraw Out-Patient Departments Services (OPD) and from 18th to 21st July, the Association will withdraw Emergency Services, withdrawing all services from 22nd July.
This was contained in a statement signed by Dr. Frank Serebour, President and Dr. Richard Selormey, General Secretary of the Association. The National Executive Council (NEC) made this announcement following an emergency meeting on Friday and urged all members to adhere to the roadmap stated above unless otherwise communicated by Council.
The Daily Searchlight is frankly amazed that medical doctors on the payroll of the State were so quick to declare to join any proposed strike, even if the strike was to back up calls to protect property deemed to belong to workers and pensioners.
Whilst we support any call for the prudent management of State-assets, we think that professions that are integral to human health and wellbeing should exercise extreme circumspection when it comes to laying down their tools.
We do not believe that Ghana can exist even a day without services like the police, which serve a similar function.
While we believe that the SSNIT Hotels Affair was unbecoming, we also believe that it was never enough excuse to risk human life and cause physical pain, even to a single individual.
We believe that it is about time our medical profession became aware of the crucial role they play towards our collective wellbeing, and began to approach the profession with a similar degree of awareness of responsibilities.
(Editorial of the Daily Searchlight of 19th July, 2024).
