Physician Assistants to Strike Over Arrest of ‘Innocent’ Colleague

Physician Assistants in the Eastern Region have threatened to boycott all medical facilities if one of their colleagues is not released from Police custody.

According to them, their colleague is being wrongfully detained over a crime he did not commit.

In a statement copied to citinewsroom.com, the leadership of the Association said it was dismayed by the actions and inaction of the Ghana Health Service at the Asuogyaman District of the Eastern Region following the death of three persons at the New Senchi Health Center.

Three persons, aged, 31, 42, and 78 died after they were injected with contaminated medicationat the facility.

The Ghana Health Service identified a Disease Control Officer, James Yeboah, as the one who administered the contaminated injections on the patients, leading to their death.

It indicated that Mr. Yeboah had not been authorized to offer such a service as a retired health worker.

Mr. Yeboah was subsequently arrested alongside the manager of the facility, Simon Takramah, a Physician Assistant.

But according to the Physician Assistants, Mr. Takramah cannot be held liable for the crime and must be immediately released.

It accused the District Health Directorate of deliberately trying to incriminate the Physician Assistant and exonerate Mr. Yeboah because they were benefiting financially from the illegal activities of the illegal disease control officer.

“It is worth bringing it again to the attention of the general public that the Disease Control Officer, Mr. James Yeboah who gave the injection Benzathine Penicillin resulting in the deaths, had been practicing illegally at the New Senchi Health Center for the past six (6) years after retirement in the full glare of the District Health Directorate before the Physician Assistant was posted to the facility on 17^th November, 2017. All this while, the Eastern Regional Health Directorate and the Asuogyaman District Health Directorate had turned a blind eye to the illegal activities of the Disease Control Officer because they are in bed with him as the said officer had been giving monies monthly directly to the Asuogyaman District District Health Directorate.”

“How then can our colleague who had not been mandated by the District Health Directorate to play that supervisory role over the Disease Control Unit, as the facility head be implicated in the mess created by a retired personnel sanctioned by the same service?,” it quizzed.

The Association further issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the Ghana Health Service to ensure the release of their colleague or risk having them lay down their tools in the region.

“The Association is by this press release demanding for the immediate release of the Physician Assistant, Mr. Simon Takrama within 48-hours by the complainant which is the Asuogyaman District Health Directorate. All Physician Assistants in the District and Region are hereby advised to boycott all medical services as a sign of solidarity to our comrade till he is released,” the statement said.

While describing the move by the district health directorate as an attempt to gag and force Physician Assistants into submission, the Association said it will no longer tolerate the directorate in such matters.