Injection Deaths: Physician Assistants To Strike Over Arrest

The Ghana Physician Assistants Association (GPAA) has threatened a sit-down strike Friday, April 13 if immediate steps are not taken to release a physician assistant at the new Senchi Health Centre in the Eastern region from prison custody.

Simon Tarkrama was remanded by the Somanya Magistrate Court with James Yeboah, a 65-year-old retired field technician of the Disease Control Unit of the New Senchi Health Centre to allow for further investigation into the death of three people from injections.

The three are believed to have been injected with contaminated penicillin powder leading to their demise.

Announcing the threat today in an interview with Accra-based Citi FM, the acting General Secretary of the Association stated that Mr. Tarkrama was being used as a scapegoat.

“We are saying by tomorrow, [Friday April 13] all physician assistants in the district…Asuogyaman district and in the Eastern region should wear red band to work, sit down…they will report to work but will never attend to any of the client until we see the release of our colleague from the Akuse prison,” said the acting General Secretary.

He continued: “We have been silent for so long a time and taken for a ride and this is a time that we have to come out and point certain administrative lapses in the Ghana Health Service for them to be rectified.”

According to him, “disease control officers have been giving injection to people at the various district health directorate which is against procedure.”

Source: Starrfmonline