Junior doctors said on Thursday that the Executive Council of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has no power to order any doctor to work. "They should stay within their mandate to promote the welfare of doctors and dentists and stop playing to the gallery," the junior doctors said in a statement signed by Dr Asamoah Manieson.

The junior doctors were reacting to the executive council's order to the doctors to resume work following a strike to press the payment of additional duty allowances to all public doctors and dentists by last Monday. They said for the executive council to describe their action as unilateral and unjustified shows that they do not understand the resolution adopted by the general membership of the association. "It was made abundantly clear, even by the Minister of Health, that monies were released for payment only last Friday, February 26, 1999 and a large majority of doctors/dentists in the regions and even at Korle Bu had not been paid by March one, 1999. "Typical of the National Executives' neglect of duty, they failed to inform the membership of such a development and reassure us that the monies will be paid. "In the midst of their confusion and disinterest in acquiring information from the right sources, they also failed to realise that junior doctors at Korle Bu were not on strike on March two, 1999 but had been dismissed by 1700 hours on March one, 1999."

The statement said these developments, as well as the haste with which they lashed out at their junior colleagues through the media makes them lose confidence in their leadership. Junior doctors at Korle Bu resumed work on Wednesday afternoon following the intervention of the Minister of Health.