Some doctors in the Northern Region have defied the Ghana Medical Association’s directive to withdraw services at emergency units in public hospitals, beginning today.
The doctors at the Tamale Teaching Hospital say they cannot stand by and watch their patients die.
Joy News' Hashmin Mohammed was at the hospital and reports that management of the hospital is currently in a meeting with the doctors to plead with those who have refused to attend to patients to return to work.
The Association has taken the decision to press home their demands for improved conditions of service.
However, in many hospitals across the country, patients in critical conditions are bearing the brunt of the doctors’ action.
Joy News’ Erastus Asare Donkor was at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital from where he reports that a woman whom Erastus describes as “weak, pathetic and dying” has been refused treatment.
Also, the mother of a 30-year-old man brought to the hospital in a taxi begged relentlessly for her son to be attended to but to no avail.
Erastus also reports that a diabetic woman who was almost unconscious was also turned away.
He added that although there were about five doctors at the hospital, they all refused to attend to the patients.
According to Erastus, the doctors say they will only attend to patients in the wards.
But at the Korle Bu Teaching hospital, where Joy News’ Francis Abban visited this morning, the family of an old lady counted themselves lucky as their relative was taken in this dawn.
Doctors told the family that the old lady would not have been admitted if it was past 6am.
Joy News’ Matilda Wemegah was at the hospital this afternoon and reports that doctors are still attending to emergency cases.
Source: ghanawec.com
