The Ghana Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists, the mother body of all medical laboratory scientists in the country, has called on its members at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and those in other regions to call off the ongoing strike.

The National Executive Committee of the Association at a press conference on Tuesday, June 1, 2021, said it has taken note of the recent court injunction secured by the National Labour Commission, NLC, against the industrial action, and the goodwill received from the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health and believes the strike should be suspended as the various stakeholders work to address their concerns.

“We have taken charge of the industrial action staged by the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital chapter of the association and its related action. We have also considered the recent ruling of an Accra-based High Court and the goodwill we have received from the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health and the Ministry of Health to help resolve all the issues that caused the industrial action.”

“We, therefore, wish to appeal to our members of the KATH chapter of the Association as well as all the regional chapters who took action in solidary with KATH, to remain calm and return to work,” President of the association, Dr. Abu Abudu Rahamani.

Members of the Medical Laboratory Scientists Association at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital first declared the strike on Thursday, May 20, 2021, to protest the decision of the hospital’s management to keep two medical specialists in key positions at the Laboratory Services Directorate.

The Chairman of the Komfo Anokoye Teaching Hospital Chapter of the association, Ernest Badu Boateng, said the Ministry of Health and the management of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) had the one-week window to reassign the medical specialists.

He said if the authorities failed to change their stance, all medical laboratory scientists in the country will meet to take further action.

This failure, thus, led to other regional branches of the association also declaring strikes in solidarity with their colleagues at KATH.

It is unclear if the regional executives will consider the appeal by their national leadership and call off the strike, as the Head of Laboratory at the Bono Regional Hospital, Abdul Ganiyu, has already indicated that they would continue the strike until they are served by the court.

34 laboratory Scientists at the Bono Regional Hospital in Sunyani are still on strike in solidarity with their colleagues at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital.