The Minister of Education, Haruna Iddrisu, has directed the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) to immediately assess and address the salary disparities between medical doctors in academia and those serving under the Ghana Health Service (GHS).

Describing the situation as an unfair labour practice, the Minister said there is an urgent need to correct the imbalance to ensure equity and fairness in the remuneration structure for public service providers.

Mr Iddrisu made the remarks at the 50th Anniversary Grand Durbar of the KNUST School of Medical Sciences, after being briefed by the Dean of the School on the poor conditions of service faced by doctors under the Ministry of Education compared to their counterparts in the health sector.

Dean of the School of Medical Sciences, Prof. Akwasi Antwi-Kusi, revealed that the disparity has made it increasingly difficult to attract young doctors to join academia as lecturers and researchers.

“Part of the unattractiveness to join faculty is because of the disparity in salary between doctors in the Ministry of Health and doctors in academia. So if you're in the Ministry of Health, your salary is up there. If you're in the Ministry of Education, it's down there,” he said.

He added, “Because of that, our young doctors don't want to join the medical school as lecturers. The salary gap is about 30 to 50 per cent of the take-home pay. I call on the CEO of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission to help bridge this gap.”

Prof Antwi-Kusi further stated that the anniversary serves as a reminder of the need for greater investment in health education. “This celebration reminds us that the future demands more. The scale and complexity of today’s health challenges require greater investment in infrastructure, technology, teaching, and human resources,” he noted.

In response, Mr Iddrisu assured that the government was already taking action to address the issue.

“The Dean of Medical Sciences made me appreciate the disparity and salary gaps or conditions of service between doctors in the Ghana Health Service and doctors at the Ministry of Education. I hurriedly and quickly called the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, and I've asked them to evaluate and close the gap and the difference in a manner that is fair and respectful,” he stated.

He added, “That will count as an unfair labour practice. I came to play with Dr Sriboe and his other friend, but thanks to him and others, we worked and gave Ghana qualified conditions of service for all medical practitioners. Thanks to him.”