Baptist ministers call for immediate resolution of labour agitations by doctors

The Ghana Baptist Ministers Conference has joined in calls for the government to urgently resolve issues of striking doctors.

Doctors in public health facilities have laid down their tools as the leadership of the Ghana Medical Association locks horns with the government in demand for conditions of service.

President of the Baptist Ministers Conference, Rev. Justifier Nii Noi Okwei, says government should do more to end the strike to save lives.

He has acknowledged the country’s financial challenges but says dialoguing amidst mutual respect should get the aggrieved doctors back at post.

“Where the country cannot afford to grant them all the concessions they are looking for, they must be made aware of the national coffers, this includes a dialogue with the medical association which is characterized by respect from both sides,” said Rev. Okwei. “This is for other sectors as well because this labor discontent has been an ongoing problem”.

The Reverend Minister spoke at the opening of the Annual Minister’s refresher course and retreat of the Baptist Convention at Ejura in the Ashanti Region.

The seven-day program is on the theme “Disciple Making in Today’s Church; The Role of the Ministers”.

The Convention expects Pastors to lead the agenda of transforming the lives of the citizenry through conscious and continuous teaching of the Gospel.

Rev. Okwei says this drive will help build a country devoid of corruption and inhuman behavior.

“We believe that when the lives of people are transformed, issues of corruption which continues to affect development will be curbed, we have the situation where over sixty-five percent of the people are Christians but evil continues to prevail… this is because they are not totally reformed,” he observed.

He believes with the help of the campus wing of the church, the youth will be transformed thoroughly to aid national development.

Meanwhile, the Baptist Ministers have appealed to the Electoral Commission to make the necessary reforms to ensure peaceful elections in 2016.

He says if the commission finds it necessary to make any reforms, it should be in the interest of the electorate.

“The reforms may be made but at the end of it all people may be disgruntled, so we look forward to reforms that build into our system a very high level of integrity, and transparency for all; so that at the end of the day we will have peaceful elections,” Rev. Okwei admonished.