West Gonja: Dozens of patients stranded as health workers strike

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Staff of the West Gonja Hospital in the Savannah Region, have locked outpatients in a protest demanding an improved condition of service.

The strike action took effect Monday, July 1, 2019.

The nurses say management has failed to meet their demands including a 10% increase in salaries and other allowances as promised.

A joint statement signed by members of the Health Service Workers Union and the Ghana Registered Nurses’ and Midwives’ Association at the hospital indicates that nothing has been done about their grievances.

Savannah Regional Correspondent, Zion Abdul Rauf, who visited the health facility Monday reported that the staff are claiming that management has repeatedly ignored their concerns after several meetings.

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“Allowances starting from January 2019 and beyond which was promised by management has not been met as promised despite several meetings over the proposed amount,” the group said in a statement.

After notifying their authorities about their situation, the nurses said they also made follow-ups with the relevant authorities but they are yet to receive any feedback.

The sit-down strike the nurses say is one of the mechanism they planned using to push for their concerns to be addressed after the expiration of the notice they served management on February 24, 2019.

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Over 200 patients stranded

Meanwhile, people who visited the facility from far and near the district capital, Damongo, only met partially empty wards while pieces of red cloth hung on the offices that remained locked with no one attending to the patients, reported Zion Abdul Rauf.

“The situation that is currently developing at the hospital represents one of the few cases that no one is caring about the situation of quality health care,” he reported.

Situated in Damongo, the capital of West Gonja District in the Northern part of Ghana, the West Gonja Hospital is run by a Diocese and Bishop, and most nurses are nuns and government employed.

The hospital was in the news recently after a male nurse was accused of sexually assaulting a European tourist who had visited the hospital for medical treatment.

The suspect was arrested and arraigned but was later freed for want of prosecution, reports say.

Source: Daily Mail GH