Junior doctors at the Ridge Hospital in Accra have threatened to “advise themselves” if they are not paid their fuel allowances by May 11, 2009. The ultimatum comes on the heels of a recent strike by junior doctors at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) and a threat of strike by their counterparts at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. Acting spokesperson for the Ridge Regional Hospital Junior Doctors Association, Dr Hilarious Abiwu, said his colleagues are ready to do whatever is humanly possible to compel authorities to clear all outstanding allowances owed them. Junior doctors at KATH on May 1, 2009 laid down their tools to protest delays in the payment of their fuel allowances. The Chief Executive Officer of KATH, Dr. Nsiah Asare told Joy FM that the arrears have since Monday been settled and was expecting the striking doctors to resume work shortly. Their action ran concurrently with threats by junior doctors at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital to strike if certain monies owed them by authorities of the hospital were not cleared. Dr Abiwu hinted that junior doctors at the hospital would call on the Health Minister to sanction the hospital’s authorities if they fail to honour their promise, after assurances that all allowances due them will be settled. See a resolution passed by the group below. RESOLUTION BY JUNIOR DOCTORS OF RIDGE HOSPITAL AT A MEETING ORGANISED ON THE 5TH OF MAY 2009 ON THE SUBJECT OF UNPAID FUEL ALLOWANCES AND SALARY REVIEWS. We, the junior doctors at the Ridge Regional Hospital having met and discussed the above issues and the current strike action by our colleagues in Kumasi, have unanimously made the following resolutions. That we are in firm solidarity with the action taken by our colleagues in Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital. That fuel allowance arrears for the year 2009 will be paid in full by Monday the 11th of May, 2009 while accumulated arrears from the year 2006-2007 will be paid in full when the NHIS pays the hospital its money as promised. This is to ensure that the running of the hospital does not run to a halt because of the payment of the backlog and an appreciation of the positive efforts by the minister of health to address the issue. That on the subject of the review of our salaries which has been without reviews since 2006, we expect that by the 15th of May 2009, concrete decisions will be reached but in the event this does not happen, leadership shall convene a meeting on the same day and decide on a definite course of action. DR ABIWU, HILARIUS A.K. (ACTING SPOKESPERSON, JUNIOR DOCTORS ASSOCIATION, RIDGE REGIONAL HOSPITAL) Story by Fiifi Koomson/Myjoyonline.com