The Upper East Regional Chairman of the Ghana Physicians Assistants Association (GPAA), Raymond Adonganga, has revealed that members of the Association would intensify their strike over what they described as unfair treatment until their concerns are addressed.
According to Mr. Adonganga, members of the Association are not on strike over poor remuneration but in “demand of their freedom as Physician Assistants to work.”
Mr. Adonganga said the strike action aimed at expressing their discontent with a planned legislation before parliament that they believe would disempower their members.
He explained that the proposed amendment of Act 857 under Section 43 of the Health Professional Bodies Act by the Ghana Medical and Dental Council (MDC) would subject the profession of Physician Assistants to the direction and supervision of Medical Doctors.
This, he noted, was simply to overturn an established practice, take away their role of prescribing medicine or even practising dentistry, and work strictly under the supervision of a medical doctor whose absence would then make them worthless.
He revealed this when he was speaking on A1 Radio’s Daybreak Upper East Show.
He bemoaned that the Medical and Dental Council (MDC), as a regulatory body, has always treated the Association unfairly. Mr. Adonganga added that there were existing laid-down procedures that regulated the work of Physician assistants, the proposed amendment, which they believe had a hidden agenda, was only to belittle their work.
Meanwhile, patients, who are on the receiving end of this strike action, have started feeling the impact as most hospital outpatient department (OPD) services, which are managed by most Physician assistants, have been brought to a halt.
Source: A1radioonline.com|101.1MHz|Gilbert Azeem Tiroog|Ghana
