The Association of Private Medical Laboratories is calling on the Health Ministry to address concerns of the Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists’ immediately.
The Association of Medical Lab Scientist(AMLS) on Monday laid down their tools over salary irregularities, and this has resulted to heavy workload on Private Medical Laboratories,
The Association has said it is facing pressure which can affect laboratory results adversely
Dr Iddrisu Alabira, the General Secretary of the Association of Private Medical Laboratories in an interview told Citi News that, although they are profiting from the strike the pressure from patients are unbearable.
“There is too much pressure on the tendencies to make a mistake is there. If you have a private laboratory, let’s assume the workload per day is 50 patients, given this situation you will have to take more than your number because you cannot turn patients away,” he said.
The strike of the Ghana Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists (GAMLS) has taken a financial toll on patients seeking affordable health care.
The strike has forced some patients to use private laboratories which are said to be significantly more expensive.
Some of the patients compelled to visit private facilities complained bitterly to Citi News, lamenting that private labs “cost more than the one in the public hospitals
“It is not everybody who can afford the private fees. Looking at the current circumstances, there is a lot of hardship. When they are embarking on such strikes, they need to look at the situation, consider people and be more humanitarian.”
Laboratory technicians who hold diploma certificates are supposed to be ranked same or similar to diploma-holding nurses, but the technicians say they have been made worse off since the single spine pay policy was introduced.
They want the establishment of a directorate of laboratory service at the Health Ministry to address lab accreditation, quality control issues among others.
–
By: Farida Yusif/citinewsroom.com/Ghana