A flagbearer aspirant of the People�s National Convention, Dr. Edward Mahama, believes that the best way to persuade striking public sector doctors to call off their strike is for the government to stop the compulsory arbitration.
Dr. Mahama, also a medical doctor, said the Ghana government needs to sit down with the agitated members of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) to dialogue over the issue of migrating doctors to the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS) and should not have allowed the case to drag to the National Labour Commission.
The 2008 flagbearer of the PNC accused the President John Evans Atta Mills-led government of giving the doctors a bad name and warned that there is no way the problem will be resolved if the government does not want to jaw-jaw with the medical personnel.
�There is no mechanism for government to force doctors to go back to work,� Dr. Mahama told Joy fm. �So I think the government probably should rescind its decision to take it to the arbitration committee. �
�May be the doctors will call off the strike if the government backs off. Government made a mistake by trying to paint the doctors black by saying that they want more money and came out with pay structures that didn�t exist� The government handled it wrongly and they continue to do that. �
The gynecologist lashed out at the ruling National Democratic Congress administration for implementing a policy without taking into consideration how much it will cost the nation.
�Until I went there I didn�t really understand the issues. The doctors have a point. It is very unfortunate that the president made a statement that the NPP didn�t leave any money at this point of his government. They should have calculated everybody on it before embarking on it [SSSS],� Dr. Mahama stated.
The strike has lasted for well over two weeks and has entered into a compulsory arbitration mode at the NLC between the striking doctors and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission. The meeting was postponed to Wednesday.
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