Kumasi, Jan. 23, GNA - The executive of the Kumasi Metropolitan Health Service Workers Union has called for equal working hours for all categories of health workers who benefit from the extra duty allowance. The Union said the situation where doctors were given 200 hours, nurses 140 hours and paramedical staff 72 hours was discriminatory.

A resolution adopted by the union at an emergency meeting in Kumasi at the weekend noted that the Ministry of Health had not given the necessary attention to the issue raised by its national secretariat. The resolution said it was most unfair for the Ministry of Health to discriminate in the number of hours for the extra duty allowance for medical and paramedical staff of the same ministry.

"We do not wish to believe that the action of the Ministry is to divide the rank and file of health workers. We believe that health care delivery and sustenance in Ghana is team work".

The Union therefore demanded an early resolution of the matter to enable all categories of health workers to enjoy the same number of hours to avoid frustration, ill feeling, low moral and the consequential effects that this might have on health care delivery.

The resolution expressed the hope that the Ministry of Health in collaboration with the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning would take a critical look at the issue and give prompt attention to it to avoid restlessness among the entire paramedical staff of the Ministry.