Ghana Physician Assistants threaten strike over proposed legislation

Members of the Ghana Physician Assistants Association have threatened to embark on a series of industrial actions to register their displeasure towards a proposed legislation that they fear will disempower their members.

The decision according to the group follows an intercepted document on a proposed amendment of Act 857 under the health professionals bodies act by the Ghana Medical and Dental Council which they say will subject the profession of Physician Assistants to the direction and supervision of a Medical Doctor.

The Ghana Physician Assistants Association is among other things demanding its removal from the cadres under the Ghana Medical and Dental Council citing a sabotage of their profession by the latter.

Speaking to Citi News at a press conference in Accra, the Eastern Regional Chairman of the association, Appiagyei Buabeng, noted the dire consequences of their intended strike on healthcare delivery, especially in rural areas.

He further called on relevant authorities to heed to their concerns before Monday, July 24, 2023.

“We as physician assistants practice under Act 857, Health Professionals Regulatory Bodies Act under the GMDC. And if you read the act very well, Section 43 talks about the rights conferred on registration. So once you are registered by the council as a practitioner, there are things you can do. But we just got the information that the GMDC is trying to sneak an amendment to that portion of the bill to Parliament for onward passage into law. That is what we are dissatisfied about. We have been able to intercept the document.”

“So we want that particular bill, wherever it has gotten to, to be withdrawn. And then we are also seeking, we have always stated that we don’t want to belong to the GMDC because they have not been faithful to us as they have done to other traders under their regulation,” he stated.

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