Bolgatanga, July 24, GNA - The Ghana Medical Association (GMA), at the weekend called on the Government to sign a Collective Bargaining Agreement governing the negotiation and implementation of the new salary structure and conditions of service of its members.

They asked that the Government respected and adhered to the negotiated agreement and correct all discrepancies and distortions that had characterised the implementation of the new salary structure. This they expect to be done before the end of August 2006.

The GMA made the call in Bolgatanga in a communiqu=E9 signed by Dr Francis Adu-Ababio, President and Dr Kwabena Opoku-Adusei, General Secretary, at the end of its fourth National Executive Council meeting during which they deliberated extensively on the implementation of the new Health Sector Salary Structure and other pertinent health matters. They expressed concern that the first salaries paid them after the agreement did not reflect the true new pay structure as it was scaled down and various ranks of Doctors and Dentists received the same amounts regardless of their years of service.

They appealed to the Government to implement a similar basic salary structure for Doctors in the Military, Police, Universities and other Government Health Institutions.

The GMA called on the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service to expedite the appointment of qualified doctors to the positions of Senior Specialists; Consultants and address promotions for other rank of Doctors and Dentists in line with the new policy on promotions in the Health Sector.

Dr Adu-Ababio, who read the communiqu=E9 on behalf of his colleagues, said the doctors acknowledged their responsibility towards the health of the people but could not put up their best if they were unhappy with their work conditions.

"We want a binding document as regard the implementation of the new Salary Structure that would assure us that there would be no undue changes in the future" he explained.

Doctors went on a sit-down strike to demand higher salary and better conditions of service to which the Government acquiesced.