General News of Monday, 12 June 2006

Source: GNA

Wa Hospital laboratory staff on strike

Wa, June 12, GNA - Patients at the Wa Regional Hospital who need blood to survive, are in imminent danger because laboratory staff have joined the nationwide strike embarked on by para-medical staff to back their demands for better conditions for service.

While the Dispensary, X-Ray, Out Patients Department, Physiotherapy, Eye-Nose-Throat and Dental units and wards of the hospital have left skeleton staff to serve patients, all laboratory staff have left the hospital making it difficult for patients to have access to laboratory services.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency at Wa on Monday, Dr Jacob Abebrese, Medical Director of the hospital said attempts to get some laboratory staff to work had failed.

He said, nurses started the strike action on Thursday and the paramedics joined them without adequate notice to the hospital authorities to enable them to put the necessary arrangements in place for work to continue.

Dr Abebrese said all doctors and unit heads in the hospital, apart from the laboratory, were working normally while retired nurses and nurses who had just completed their training and on orientation were supporting to keep the hospital functioning. services were however, turned away.