Laboratory professionals at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital will from Wednesday, May 19, 2021, begin a sit-down strike if the management of the hospital does not pay heed to their demands.
The laboratory professionals are angry over a decision by the management of KATH to post two medical officers to the laboratory Services Directorate as Clinical Haematologists.
Speaking to Citi News, the President of the Ghana Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists, Dr. Abu Abudu Rahamani, called on the management of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital to look into the issue and find ways to resolve it.
“They are medical officers, we have been working with them, and we are colleagues, so, why can’t they manage their clinics while we also manage the laboratories? What will be the need for them to bring them in? What will they be doing? So since management has refused to listen to us and heed our calls, there’s one thing that I can assure, we will do everything possible to be heard. And I can assure everyone that this is not going to be a Komfo Anokye hospital issue, it is going to be a national issue because anything that happens to any laboratory personnel in one sector, definitely affects everyone. We all feel the pain and ambush.”
Mr. Rahamani said they will not be idle and wait for the worst-case scenario to happen before they take action, that is why they are moving now for the issue to be rectified.
“You know two or three years ago, it started from Korle-Bu, and now it has moved to Komfo Anokye. Very soon, we know, it will be moving to the Tamale Teaching Hospital and others. We don’t want to be seen as professionals who are interested in a strike, and so we will sit and wait for it to happen before we call a strike, no. We want this issue to be sorted out once and for all.”
The workers earlier gave the hospital administration up to Tuesday, May 18, 2021, to address their concerns and have the specialists reassigned or have the industrial action triggered.
