Doctors must ‘persevere’ and use dialogue – Labour analyst

Public sector doctors have been urged to hold a little while longer while they continue to iron out their differences with the government. Labour relations analyst, Kofi Davor on Eyewitness News suggested that it doesnt matter how provocative government approach has been on the matter, they should persevere in negotiation and conversation with government for the sake of Ghanaians and not for the sake of government.
The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) on Thursday declared an indefinite nationwide strike following governments inability to put together a comprehensive document on the conditions of service for doctors after an expiration of the July 30 deadline. The doctors have now withdrawn their services to the Out Patient Departments (OPDs) of all government health facilities. In the second week of the strike, they will withdraw other services excluding emergency services.The third week of the withdrawal will however include all services as well as emergency services which will then culminate in the implementation of their final decision to resign en bloc. Mr. Davor acknowledged that doctors are very critical to the country's economy therefore the withdrawal of their service and their ultimate plane to resign en bloc is worrying. He pointed out that in the matter of life and death,it is not about who is right therefore it is imperative for the doctors and government to look at issues beyond who is right or who is wrong.Given what I have heard on this matter, I have no reason to say that the doctors have no case. This does not exonerate government in any way.I still believe that dialogue can solve this matter, he remarked. According to Mr. Davor, the doctors have every right to be aggrieved woing to the fact that government has not been faithful in this matter because they gave their word as far back as 2006 to get this matter resolved. He said he is concerned that Ghanaians have become so fixated with one approach to resolving differences with government as a labour relations person, I am getting a little worried.