Lab scientists at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) have said declared a full-blown indefinite strike in demand for the removal of some two doctors posted to the hospital’s haematology unit to superintend the work of lab scientists.

After a meeting by the KATH chapter of the Ghana Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists (GAMLS) on Wednesday, 26 May 2021, the lab scientists said they took the decision to escalate their week-long sit-down strike following the expiration of their earlier ultimatum.

The full-blown strike will mean that the lab scientists will not be reporting to work indefinitely until their demands are met.

“It is a total strike and withdrawal of services until further notice”, the group said.

Meanwhile, the Bono East branch of GAMLS has threatened to declare a strike tomorrow, Thursday, 27 May 2021, in solidarity with its colleagues at KATH.

The Regional Chairman, Mr Moses Kofi Woli, told journalists that the Bono East Region is concerned “because the main aim of those lab physicians (doctors) is that they want to manage the labs from the teaching hospital level to the district level and this is a region; we have district hospitals, we have regional hospitals; if the law, which is now preventing them from practising is not implemented and they are allowed to come into the lab to do whatever they want, then what will be the fate of the medical lab scientist?”

Mr Woli said “we have been trained purposely for that purpose”, adding: “Every medical laboratory scientist has what it takes to produce quality and acceptable lab results for the management of patients”.

“Why will it take someone from a different profession to come and boss over me or validate my results before they could be used to treat a patient?” he asked.

To him, “this is the issue of concern to us and we think the law must be implemented to prevent all these issues”.

In solidarity with their KATH colleagues, Mr Woli said: “We are ever ready and our people poised” to go on strike.

“We are not interested in threatening anyone”, he pointed out, explaining: “In fact, we care much about the patients”.

According to him, “taking such decisions to go on strike is difficult for us but the right thing must be done and we are saying that if the issue is not resolved by tomorrow when the KATH deadline will end, we are going to be joining them”.

“So, this is an indication: We have started with the red bands today, tomorrow, we are going to see the outcome”. 

“If the law is not enforced, we are going to join them and we’ll join the strike from tomorrow”, he warned.