The General Secretary of the Medical Laboratory Professional Workers’ Union (MELPWU), has acknowledged the difficulties faced by the public during their recent strike.
In an interview on JoyNews' The Probe, Dr. Cephas Akortor, apologised to the public for the inconvenience caused.
Dr. Akortor emphasised that the union never intended for the situation to escalate to this extent.
However, he explained that the inaction of the duty-bearers compelled them to take such measures.
"My sincere apologies to the general public. In fact, we decided to put the strike on hold for their sake," he said on Sunday, June 23.
The Medical Laboratory Professional Workers' Union (MELPWU) initiated an industrial action on June 17, 2024, in response to the government's prolonged delay in addressing their conditions of service.
This action significantly disrupted health services nationwide, leaving patients at public health facilities without essential laboratory services and forcing many to seek more expensive alternatives in private facilities.
The strike is temporarily on hold following an emergency meeting held on Thursday, June 20 involving representatives from MELPWU, the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, the Finance Ministry, and the Health Ministry, aimed at resolving the ongoing dispute.
But Dr Akortor explained that despite the potential for a longer strike, the union decided to "add a human face to it" and called off the action after five days.
He noted that the union understood the critical impact their absence could have on the healthcare system, emphasising that the “laboratory is the foundation of healthcare.”
"The role that we play starts from the beginning of life to the end of life and even beyond the grave because, in the grave, we have to tell whether you are the actual person lying there or not through DNA testing and other investigations.”
He also noted that the decision to suspend the strike was influenced by the union's commitment to being law-abiding citizens.
Latest Stories
-
We’ll establish fiscal council to rein in excessive borrowing – Finance Minister
50 seconds -
Mortuary workers issue fresh strike threat
5 mins -
‘Lapses in banking system are not unique’ – John Awuah on managing fraud in Ghana’s Banks
13 mins -
Bawumia confident of victory in 2024 election
47 mins -
Strengthening audit institutions essential for tackling fiscal mismanagement – Domelevo
57 mins -
Healthy Aging: The Role of the Gut Microbiome and How Diet Can Help
58 mins -
Seek medical care, diagnosis for breast cancer – Dr Abiti to women
1 hour -
Hardship: Men now collect marriage list from different families to get cheapest – Report
1 hour -
‘If you’re looking for trouble, you’ll get it,’ Falz tells VeryDarkMan
1 hour -
Paramount Chief of Avenor grateful to NPP, calls for completion of Agenda 111 project
2 hours -
Bawumia commissions ultramodern office complex for Ho Municipal Assembly
2 hours -
Bawumia declares NPP’s infrastructure record unmatched
2 hours -
Importers face duty on Electric Vehicles despite gov’t’s exemption promises
2 hours -
4 additional Democracy Hub protesters discharged
2 hours -
Election 2024: Alan Kyerematen lacks a message – Hassan Ayariga
2 hours