The technical group working on the framework for negotiating conditions of service for the public sector health workers, has presented its final report to the Minister of Health, Mr Alex Segbefia.

The President of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), Dr Kwabena Adusei-Poku, who chaired the group commissioned in February this year, handed over the document to the Minister.

Dr Adusei-Poku noted that members have gone through tortuous periods spanning over 10 years to develop the framework.

He expressed the hope that health workers would heave a sigh of relief, and sanity would prevail with the introduction of the structure for the conditions of service, to deal with specific issues confronting the health sector.

The Health Minister assured members of the Association that government would give serious attention to the Report, and study to ensure that the Ghana Health Service had a condition of service for its members.

He said the Report would be made available to the Public Services Commission, the Attorney-General’s Department, and Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, for scrutiny and speedy implementation.

The presentation was witnessed by Mr Haruna Iddrisu, Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, some members of the GMA, and the Trades Union Congress.

The GMA had threatened to strike if its members did not get negotiated conditions of service by the end of this month.

But, Mr Haruna said: “we are not doing this because of your threat to strike, but because we think it is the right and appropriate thing as a government to do.

“We intend to fast-track the negotiation with the conditions of service not later than June 12.”

He urged health workers to hesitate to carry out industrial action, because the fatality and consequences of their actions were irreparable or could not be compensated.

He added that government recognized the important role health workers played in saving lives, and emphasized the need for the workers to use their right to strike sparingly and rarely.