Over 1,500 allied health professionals at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital have announced their intention to withdraw outpatient department (OPD) services starting Friday, August 2. The professionals are demanding the appointment of a director for their department, a position they insist should not be filled by a medical doctor.
For more than a decade, allied health professionals at Korle-Bu have been calling for a director to lead their unit, but their requests have been consistently ignored by hospital management. Recent attempts to engage both the management and the board to secure this appointment have also failed, leading to increased frustration among the professionals.
Dr. Francis Kwakye Antwi, the local president of the Ghana Federation of Allied Health Professionals, urged the management to act swiftly to prevent disruptions in healthcare services. “We have developed ourselves as professionals, but we have been denied this opportunity for over fifty years now and counting. Now, as Korle-Bu celebrates its centenary, all we are asking for is our freedom, and we are demanding it now, not tomorrow,” he stated.
Dr. Antwi emphasized the need for a director who can supervise the activities of allied health professionals and represent their interests in decision-making processes. “If the management and the board do not advertise the position of director of allied health by midnight today and do not advertise it on Thursday, we will start with work-to-rule actions, which will escalate into a full-blown strike. On Friday, we will withdraw OPD services, and by Monday, we will initiate a nationwide strike,” he warned.
Despite these impending actions, the Chief Executive Officer of Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr. Opoku Ampomah, has declined to comment on the matter.
Source: sankofaonline.com
