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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has called on medical doctors in Ghana who are at the heart of the nation’s fight against COVID-19, to stand up for Ghanaians in this critical health situation the world finds itself.
The President made the call when he met with the leadership of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) at the Jubilee House as part of the Government’s consultation agenda with key stakeholders in the country’s fight against the public health emergency confronting the nation.
“If you step up to the plate and show the people of Ghana your commitment to their welfare, it will make all the difference to our capacity to deal with this pandemic,” President Akufo-Addo said.
President Akufo-Addo noted that there are obvious challenges with the economy of Ghana and doctors are equally affected by the difficulties posed by the existing economic hardships.
“In the midst of all of this has come this situation, the question is going to be asked one day, hopefully, when it is over and others have come to take our place, they will ask, where were you in the heart of this crisis? I want to be able to say that you were very present and that you were very prepared and able to step forward and help the people” President Akufo-Addo stated.
President of the Ghana Medical Association, Dr. Frank Ankobea, in a statement on behalf of the association, thanked the President of the Republic for all his bold decisions since the battle with the COVID-19 pandemic started. He added that medical doctors in Ghana have resolved to “carry on this fight no matter what it takes”.
“Some of us may be taken away by COVID, but that is not going to let us down. We will continue to mobilize all the health workers and fight to the end of this COVID-19” Dr. Ankobea said.
Other Concerns
He further indicated that the medical association has joined the mass media education drive by deploying its members to engage the media to ensure that the general public are brought up to speed on matters relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. In his address, he called on government and the Ministry of Health to reconsider the model for the distribution of Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) to guarantee even distribution of same across all regions of the country. On the issue of testing of potential COVID-19 patients, Dr. Ankobea, called on government to take a critical look at empowering and upgrading some laboratories around the country to allow them to carry out testing of samples. This he said will take care of the waiting time and delays associated with the testing of Coronavirus samples.
The GMA
The GMA has a membership of over 3,000 medical and dental practitioners working in all sixteen regions of the country, with a concentration in Accra and Kumasi. Members cut across the full spectrum of the profession: medical officers, specialists, consultants, researchers and academicians; and work in the public sector, private sector, faith-based organisations and quasi-Government institutions, as well as in academia and research.
The Association is made up of sixteen divisions whose Chairmen together with the National Executive Committee and a representative each from the Society of Private Medical and Dental Practitioners, Ghana Dental Association and the Junior Doctors Society, constitute the National Executive Council. The National Executive Council meets every other month to deliberate on matters affecting the Association. The highest decision-making body of the Association is the General Assembly, which meets at the Annual General Meetings held in different parts of the country.
