The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) in a communique has officially commented on the issues surrounding the launching and implementation of the National Laboratory policies that were prepared in 2012 by the Ministry of Health with support from the CDC, USA.
The statement was part of a communique published by the association at the end of its 58th annual conference in Ho, Ghana.
The association described as worrisome as the confusion between the Ghana college of Physician, the ministry of health and the Ghana Association of Biomedical Scientists (GABMLS) continue to hinder effective health delivery and advised the ministry to help solve the issue timely and amicably.
GMA however warned to protest and use all available means to defend its members if they (Laboratory Physicians) are pursue out of the various health Laboratories as by the approach of GABMLS.
This statement comes a time when the ministry of Health has set up a committee led by the principled Professor Ernest Ayettey, the immediate past Vice-chancellor of the University of Ghana to investigate and submit report on the issue by 12, December 2016.
It is believed that by the end of the committee’s sitting the confusion will end and Laboratory Science will assume a new life to pave way for quality health care and patient safety.
Below is the full statement.
COMMUNIQUE ISSUED AT THE END OF THE 58TH ANNUAL GENERAL CONFERENCE OF THE GHANA MEDICAL ASSOCIATION (GMA) HELD FROM OCTOBER 4-9, 2016, AT CHANCES HOTEL, HO, IN THE VOLTA REGION
NATIONAL LABORATORY POLICY
The ongoing friction in our public hospital laboratories over a National Laboratory Policy is a worrisome one. In as much as the Ghana Medical Association has no reservations to the need for a proper and an all-inclusive National Laboratory Policy, we strongly protest the manner in which the Ghana Association of Biomedical Scientists have attempted to use the need for this Policy to hound Laboratory Physicians (doctors) out of the Laboratories of the various health facilities.
Laboratory Physicians (doctors) play a key role in the delivery of health services in the country and indeed the world over.
In fact, if the current skewed and outrageous demands by the Ghana Association of Biomedical Laboratory Scientists are met it will be disastrous to patient care which is the core function of every health facility.
The Ghana Medical Association has exercised great restraint throughout this impasse.
However, the GMA will not hesitate to explore and use all avenues available to it to address this unfair treatment being meted out to its members in this sector of the health delivery system.
The GMA urges the Ministry of Health, to ensure that there is a timely and amicable solution to this issue before it degenerates into undue confusion in the health sector.
