Kwaku Agyemang Manu, Health Minister
Staff of the Pantang Psychiatric Hospital have called off their three-day sit-down strike after Health Minister Kwaku Agyeman-Manu visited the health facility.
The staff had embarked on the industrial action since Monday over what they called government’s failure to take action against private developers encroaching on the hospital’s land.
Elvis Akuamoah, a senior staff of the hospital, earlier indicated that attempts by management to have their issues addressed had proved futile.
He added that the situation was putting the lives of patients and workers at risk. The staff subsequently embarked on a demonstration on Wednesday over the matter.
But after a meeting with the minister of health, the workers of the hospital explained that they have decided to call off the strike and resume work on Thursday.
Addressing the media after the meeting, Elvis Akuamoah disclosed that Mr Agyeman-Manu had intervened to stop the developers from building on the land while a lasting solution is found.
“We are encouraged by the fact that he (health minister) considers this as a very important matter and he said that he hasn’t seen any situation where individuals and private developers should take over the frontage of a hospital. In its wider consultation, he has had some sort of agreement with the one who is selling the land that government has interest in the land fronting the hospital and so temporarily they should halt the development and he should also talk to his colleagues who are in the sale of the stretch fronting the hospital to halt as they go into discussions to see the way forward,” he stated.
“But ultimately, there is some commitment to acquire the land fronting the hospital and we are happy. So tomorrow (Thursday) we are back to work,” Elvis Akuamoah added.
The strike resulted in over 200 admitted patients of the hospital and hundreds of out patients left unattended to by health officers.