The Ministry of Health is to take delivery of a new fleet of vehicles for medical practitioners as part of efforts by government to improve upon their conditions of service.

The Ministry has secured an amount of $5 million dollars from the World Bank and the Health endowment fund, to facilitate the purchase of cars for the medical practitioners, which would be paid back later into a revolving fund. The minister of health, Dr Kwaku Afriyie disclosed this in an interview with Peace fm on Wednesday.

Commenting on the recent strike action by Junior Doctors at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr Kwaku Afriyie stated that, the action was uncalled for, considering steps government is taking to improve their conditions. He noted that, government increased the salary of medical officers by about 30% and their Additional Duty Hours Allowances (ADHA) by 60% last year, which resulted in senior medical officers taking over ?5 million, compared to ?2 million paid them a few years back. According to him, medical practitioners comparatively receive a higher salary, compared to their colleagues in the civil service.

Touching on the doctor’s demand for the government to consolidate their salaries, Dr Afriyie said, it will have several implications on the country’s economy, which is already in a bad state.