Physician Assistants have joined calls for the government to take firm decisions to better the lot of the average Ghanaian worker. For the Physician Assistants, the 2023 Budget Statement and Financial Policy presents the best opportunity for the government to do this.
When the President-elect of the Ghana Physician Assistants Association, Peter Ayamba spoke on A1 Radio’s Day Break Upper East Show, he explained why the government needed to better the lot of the Ghanaian worker.
“For us as workers, there’s nothing better than to have better or improved conditions of service. Improved conditions of service include also, better equipped health facilities, better infrastructure for service delivery, enhanced health financing. These are the areas that the budget should reflect.”
The delay in reimbursing facilities monies owed under the NHIS should be promptly addressed in the 2023 Budget Statement and Financial Policy, Mr. Ayamba said.
“We have had challenges with the NHIS. This is adversely affecting health service. Most of the facilities do not have the basic logistics to be able to provide better health delivery. Currently, medical and non-medical consumables suppliers are not even willing to supply on credit so you must buy cash. Unfortunately as facility managers, the cash is not there and that is the very challenging situation that we expect that the budget would be able to address these concerns,” he said.
The Vice President of the Ghana Medical Association, Dr. Justice Yankson also hoped that the 2023 Budget Statement and Financial Policy would squarely address the conditions of service and living standards of medical doctors, other health professionals and all workers in Ghana alike.
Dr. Yankson shared these thoughts when he spoke on A1 Radio’s Day Break Upper East Show today, Wednesday, November 23, 2024.
“We all know the current economic situations that as workers, or as a people, we are going through at this point. I would say that we expect this budget to ease the current hardships that we are facing as workers. For me, that is paramount,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dr. Sandaare, Member of Parliament for the Daffiama-Bussie-Issa Constituency in the Upper West Region was hopeful that, through the budget expected to be read November 24, 2022, the government would pay particular attention to expanding access to the NHIS and also promptly settle debts owed service providers.
He made these points when he spoke to A1 Radio’s Mark Smith on the Day Break Upper East Show.
“I expect that the Minister of Finance not releasing the full component of the NHIL would be addressed. We have traced and realised that the NHIA is saying that the money that the Ministry of Finance is supposed to release for us to be able to pay up the health facilities, the Ministry of Finance is not doing that. It is an issue for us to look out for and it is also an issue for us to hold the Finance Minister responsible to ensure the money is released,” he said.
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Mark Kwasi Ahumah Smith|Ghana
