The Health Minister has pleaded with nurses at the Ankaful Psychiatric Hospitals to give him three months during which he will be able to resolve the impasse between the workers and their health director.

He has therefore appealed to them to return to work as he looks for an amicable solution.

This was revealed to Joy News by the Chief Executive Officer of the Mental Health Authority Dr Akwasi Osei, Tuesday.

“He will eventually be monitoring the situation and trusting that things will change. If it does not go according to how he wants from the monitoring, then he will come up with some interventions,” he said.

Things came to a head at the Hospital after the nurses accused their medical director of gross disrespect for staff and misappropriation of the facility’s funds.

On these grounds and more, the nurses at the hospital are demanding the removal of Dr Eugene Dordorye.

This is in spite of an apology rendered by the embattled medical director.

The nurses have been on a sit down strike for five days leaving scores of patients and their relatives stranded.

Health Minister, Kwaku Agyemang Manu

On the invitation of the Health Minister, Tuesday, the workers met to make a case for the removal of their medical director.

But the Minister pleaded to be given three months “by which time according to his schedule, he will be able to reassess the situation…initially the nurses were not happy but with time they all agreed,” Dr Osei said.

He said he is expecting the strike to be called off as soon as the nurses go back to their respective duty posts.

Commenting on the latest development, Emmanuel Ofori, the spokesperson for the nurses confirmed meeting the Minister and a plea for them to go back to work.

He said they are yet to discuss it with their members on Wednesday as they did not have any agreement with the Minister.

“There wasn’t an agreement, he [Minister] made the request that we speak to our members and we said we have heard and during the closing remark we thanked them for the meeting and told them we will try and convince them.

He was quick to add that if the members do not agree with the plea  by the minister it will be difficult to assume an agreement has been reached with him.