Physician Assistants to suspend license renewal over alleged autonomy usurpation

The leadership of the Ghana Physician Assistants Association has directed all its members to suspend the renewal of licenses with the Medical and Dental Council for the ensuing year, 2023.

A directive from the Association further said all Physician Assistants should not renew their licenses from 2023 until the Ministry of Health outlines modalities for getting their own regulatory body.

The Association argued that the work of its members is indispensable and thus must be given the needed attention and accorded the required respect from both the employer and regulator.

Addressing journalists, the secretary for the Association, Peter Eyram Kuenyefu said the announced directive will help drum home their demand for immediate attention from the government.

Physician Assistants across the country have since 2019 been protesting against an alleged plot by the Medical and Dental Council and the Ministry of Health to usurp the autonomy of the profession

Crying out in distress, Mr. Eshun said, “our employer is aware of this thing [alleged usurpation] and that it has been going on all this while because they have always been part of our communications and engagements and we had expected them, who valued our work to have put pressure on the Ministry to do the right thing.”

Mr. Eshun added that his members could have resolved to withdraw their services entirely but for the reason that such a decision will have a negative effect on the ordinary Ghanaian, they would rather suspend the renewal of their license.

“We are following due process, and it is not our wish to go on strike. It is not our desire to strike because the good people of Ghana will be on the suffering side should we proceed to strike, but we have to take this position [of not renewing our license] because it is the only option left to us.”