Former medical superintendent of the Ridge hospital, Dr Thomas Winsum Anaba has criticised the Akufo-Addo government’s reluctance to meeting the demands of the striking Medical Laboratory Professional Workers’ Union (MELPWU).

The group announced a strike on June 17 over the lack of conditions of service for its members, despite nearly two years of negotiations with the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC).

The Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) and the Ministry of Health  met with the leadership of MELPWU last week to negotiate their conditions of service but the meeting was inconclusive.

Dr Adu Gyamfi, Public relations for MELPWU told Power FM News that the government was not committed to meetingn their demands which they had been drumming home for the past 2 years, saying ” the government says 2 out of the 13 allowances we are demanding will only be admitted for execution.”

But Dr Anaba, who spoke to Piesie Okrah on TV XYZ Wednesday night, bemoaned the strike action by MELPWU but hastened that the government was not treating the professional laboratory workers fairly.

He wondered why a group of people rendering such an essential servie in state hospitals would be treated in a way that had to trigger a nationwide strike while CEOs of state institutions such as the Ghana Cocoa Board are drawing fat allowances for less work done.

“Some of these CEos take fat allowances; others even take allowances for entertainment,” he stated and urged the government “to sit up” and act swiftly to end the strike.

Dr Anaba, worryingly indicated that patients visiting some public health facilities for lab services have been left stranded due to the strike, as some are forced to pay for higher costs of lab services at private facilities.

He added that the strike is causing unnecessary “mortalities” that does not speak well about the handlers of the matter before the Fair wages and Salaries Commission.

Meanwhile, the General Secretary of the Medical Laboratory Professional Workers’ Union, Cephas Kofi Akortor, claims the FWSC has failed to fulfil all the promises made to the National Labour Commission, which is a contributory factor for their strike.

“Fair Wages is not being fair. Fair Wages should have been a bit more proactive in their engagement because we are essential service workers. We should not be treated like any kind of people,” he told Joy FM News on June 19.

Mr Akortor further alleges that the Commission has always treated the union with contempt.

According to him, each time the FWSC agreed to engage with MELPWU, it was always in response to a protest.

“We have never written to them [FWSC] requesting a meeting and Fair Wages will act upon that. At all times our engagement will take about three months cycle. We will have one meeting today, the next engagement will be about three months later, four months later. It has not been fair,” he added.

Source: Myxyzonline.com

The Ghana AIDS Commission has expressed concerns about the increasing rate of new HIV infections and the age groups most affected in the country.

The Commission has therefore emphasised the need for Ghana to announce and implement plans to achieve epidemic control.

Ghana recorded a 9.0% increase in the HIV population from 2013 to 2023, with an expected increase of 6.8% from 2023 to 2030. New HIV infections stand at 17,774, a 14.8% decrease. Additionally, 12,480 deaths were recorded, marking a decrease of 20.5% in annual AIDS deaths from 2013 to 2023, with an expected further decrease of 58.1% from 2023 to 2030.

The total HIV population is 334,095, with new infections at 17,774. Accra, Ashanti, and the Eastern Region have the highest numbers of HIV cases in the country, while the Bono Region leads with an HIV prevalence rate of 2.12%.

Presenting the dissemination of the 2023 national and sub-national HIV and AIDS estimates and projections at a press conference in Accra on Wednesday, the Director-General of the Ghana AIDS Commission, Dr Kyeremeh Atuahene, called for stringent measures to be put in place to enable the country to achieve epidemic control.

“Adults aged 25 and above constitute the majority of the HIV population, which is about 84.7 percent. You can see quite clearly that the bulk of the people either dying of AIDS, being newly infected and being one of the HIV population in the country lie between the ages of, 15 to 49.

“That’s where you see the bulk of the population. This population is an economically active population. These are the people who work and earn income to support the country as well as the dependent population in the country.”

“That is the aged and the children who are not working. I’m making this point because it shows quite clearly that HIV is a developmental issue. It’s an economic issue, and it’s also a business issue.

“And so we should remember that our ability to eliminate AIDS or end AIDS and achieve epidemic control in the country should be the business of everyone, and therefore, we need to work together,” he stated.

Source: Citi News

The General Secretary of the Medical Laboratory Professional Workers’ Union (MELPWU), Cephas Kofi Akortor, says the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) has not lived up to its mandate.

The group announced a strike on June 17 over the lack of conditions of service for its members, despite nearly two years of negotiations with the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC).
The union deemed the last meeting on May 31, 2024, as “disappointing.”

Patients visiting some public health facilities for lab services have been left stranded due to the strike, as some are forced to pay for higher costs of lab services at private facilities.
But the General Secretary of the Medical Laboratory Professional Workers’ Union claims the FWSC has failed to fulfil all the promises made to the National Labour Commission, which is a contributory factor for their strike.

Speaking on Joy FM’s Midday News on June 19, he said, “Fair Wages is not being fair. Fair Wages should have been a bit more proactive in their engagement because we are essential service workers. We should not be treated like any kind of people,” he said.

Mr Akortor further alleges that the Commission has always treated the union with contempt.

According to him, each time the FWSC agreed to engage with MELPWU, it was always in response to a protest.

“We have never written to them [FWSC] requesting a meeting and Fair Wages will act upon that. At all times our engagement will take about three months cycle. We will have one meeting today, the next engagement will be about three months later, four months later. It has not been fair,” he added.

When asked about the effects of their strike on healthcare delivery, the General Secretary explained that the leadership was in a difficult position because union members believed they were hesitant to strike due to potential government inducement.

He added that the desperation of their members ultimately led to the strike.

Meanwhile, he expressed the hope that the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission would invite them to the negotiation table to resolve the issue.

The Ministry of Health a statement on Monday, June 17, said significant progress had been made in the negotiations, with most of the proposed items agreed upon by the government Negotiations Team, urging the union to end the strike and return to the negotiation table.

Source: Myjoyonline.com