Doctors Dragged To Court

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Parent Category: Health & Fitness

Created on Saturday, 15 October 2011 00:00

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The Ghana Coalition for NGOs in Health has dragged the striking public sector doctors to court in a bid to force them back to their posts as several lives come under threat.

Leading member of the group and a lawyer James Odartey Mills told Citi FM’s Eyewitness News on Friday that they are suing the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) because their actions are illegal.

The doctors took off their stethoscope in about a week and in spite of numerous appeals to them to return to the wards including that of President John Evans Atta Mills, the life saving personnel have resolved to remain resolute on their demands.

Odartey Mills said they are also seeking “an order from the court to compel them to call of their strike. ”

He was of the view that the striking doctors should have used the laid down procedures of seeking redress than “taking the law into their own hands. ”

“I do not think the laws are not working in this country, they rather have not applied the law,” Odartey stated. “If you are grieved with any institution, anybody, any person, you go to court, you do not take the law into your own hands, it is as simple as that. ”

“All of us are expected to abide by the law and apply the law in resolving our grievances not to take the law into our own hands. ”

The GMA is on a collision course with the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, accusing the latter of deliberately refusing to migrate them onto the Single Spine Salary Structure.

Although President Mills has asked the doctors to call off their strike and return to their posts, the doctors are adamant giving indications that until their demands are met, they are not returning to the hospitals.

Odartey Mills said: “We are not against doctors or any other group fighting for better salaries or better working conditions of service, all we are saying is that whatever it is you are looking for and whatever problems you have, should there be any issue or any stalemate, just go to court or apply the law.

“In fact in their case, they need not even jump straight to court, there are enough provisions in the law on how they are to handle these things. ”

He also indicated that there is a possibility their first hearing at the court would be on Thursday October 20.

Source: citifmonline.com