Audio By Carbonatix
The decision by the Mahama government of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) to enter into an agreement in which the Cuban government will be exporting 300 medical doctors as labor scabs to break the resolve of striking Ghanaian doctors, is tantamount to an effective declaration of war against both the professional and economic survival of Ghanaian doctors. In the long haul, this patently unwise decision is likely to significantly regress the development of the country's healthcare system, while conversely giving a boost to the economic development of the Cuban medical system, at least in terms of employment (See "GMA Fumes Over Cuban Doctors" Citifmonline.com/Ghanaweb.com 5/1/13).
In a rather shockingly lame response to the Mahama government's clearly nihilistic and systematic attempt to destroy the country's medical profession and our healthcare system, the Deputy General-Secretary of the Ghana Medical Association, Dr. Justice Yankson, was quoted as saying that the cost of the importation of 300 Cuban medical doctors would place a much heavier economic burden on the Ghanaian taxpayer than having adequately remunerated Ghanaian doctors to perform the same duties on a familiar terrain and milieu.
Actually, what the GMA executives and the membership ought to be arguing before the largely sympathetic court of Ghanaian public opinion is the fact that the NDC government, since the tenure of the former Chairman Jerry John Rawlings, has made a resolute, albeit culturally regressive, political agenda of playing Cuban doctors against their Ghanaian counterparts, by ignobly and unwisely privileging Cuban doctors over their Ghanaian counterparts, rather than staunchly supporting Ghanaian doctors, both materially and morally, to give off their best.
The other equally significant factor that needs to be highlighted is the fact that the Cuban doctors are neither familiar, for the most part, with Ghanaian cultures or languages; couple the preceding with the fact that Spanish is the native and official language of Cuba, and it becomes obvious that regardless of how well trained these Latin-American doctors may be, they are seriously handicapped in terms of lacking the integral cultural and linguistic components of the profession which are indispensable to the effective and/or best practice of their trade.
In practical terms, however, since the Mahama government has decided to rather hire foreign medical practitioners to experiment with innocent and vulnerable Ghanaian lives, even while callously denying our own taxpayer-trained local doctors a decent livelihood, it is incumbent upon the striking GMA doctors to ensure that the Cuban doctors do not get to practice their trade on Ghanaian soil under governable circumstances.
In sum, if the Mahama government and its Havana counterpart have absolutely no remarkable regard for the human right of the Ghanaian doctor to a decent livelihood, then every means necessary must be appropriated to ensure that these alien industrial scabs do not get to practice medicine in Ghana. At least not under present circumstances.
______________________________________________________
*Kwame Okoampa-Ahoofe, Jr., Ph.D.
Department of English
Nassau Community College of SUNY
Garden City, New York
May 1, 2013
E-mail: okoampaahoofe@optimum.net
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Tags:
DISCLAIMER: The Views, Comments, Opinions, Contributions and Statements made by Readers and Contributors on this platform do not necessarily represent the views or policy of Multimedia Group Limited.
Latest Stories
-
At least 27 people killed in two shootings in South African township
32 minutes -
Iranian minister says only negotiation can end conflict after Trump rejects Hormuz deal
51 minutes -
Some Ghanaians use free speech to destroy reputations – Bobby Banson
1 hour -
Crowds, deals and home solutions as Republic Bank-JoyNews Habitat Fair enters final day
4 hours -
Fire Service finds only five functional hydrants in Ministries enclave
4 hours -
Government to sign 1,200MW gas power deal before end of 2026 – Mahama
4 hours -
West Mamprusi launches community-led WASH and livelihoods project across 100 communities
4 hours -
Iran says it will wait for official US response after Trump rejects Strait of Hormuz proposal
5 hours -
90 Oti communities to benefit from government electrification project
5 hours -
Floods leave 246 without shelter as 93 houses collapse in North East Gonja
5 hours -
Labour Minister wants SOEs to help shape new public pay system
10 hours -
IPEC will ensure Equity and Sustainability in SOEs Compensation
10 hours -
White House bars CNN from travelling with Trump on Air Force One
11 hours -
Fennis wins second consecutive ITF J60 title in Accra
11 hours -
Spain beat England in thriller after Kane penalty miss
11 hours