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Anaesthetists Withdraw All Services From Health Facilities Nationwide In Demand For Name Change

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After the partial withdrawal of their services last week, members of the Ghana Association of Certified Registered Anaesthetists across the country have completely withdrawn all their services.

The strike is due to the Medical and Dental Council’s continued failure to acknowledge them as Certified Registered Anesthetists.

Members of the group are currently referred to as Physician Assistants-Anaesthesia.

The group first laid down its tools on Friday, January 31, 2020.

Previous petitions to the Council and threats to lay down their tools have been made to no avail.

The immediate past president of the Association, Jacob Wumbei, told Citi News this strike will highlight the value of their profession.

“Since the Medical and Dental Council has refused [to heed to our demands] saying we are nobody, we are not qualified, we don’t do anything, all we have decided to do is… we will step aside so that when we step aside, the public will know whether truly we do our job or it is somebody who does the job and we assist,” he said.

Parliament, through the amendment of the Health Professions Regulatory Bodies Act 857; changed their names from Physician Assistants-Anaesthesia to Certified Registered anaesthetists and ordered the Medical and Dental Council to apply the necessary conditions of service.

Other complaints

The association has complained about the amendment’s lack of regard for their carrier progression and the lack of management opportunities for its members.

The Association also says that the Medical and Dental Council’s approach of introducing a new curriculum for their training in a bid to change the already existing Bachelor of Science Anesthesia to Bachelor of Science Physician Assistants is a clear violation of the Health Professions Regulatory Bodies Act 857 (Act 2013).

It has in the past claimed that the push for the name change is being resisted by Doctor Anaesthetists.

About anaesthetists

Anaesthetists are known as advanced practice nurses who administer anaesthesia for surgery or other medical procedures.

They work in collaboration with surgeons, anesthesiologists, dentists, podiatrists, and other professionals to ensure the safe administration of anaesthesia.

Anaesthesia is the administration of medication to allow medical procedures to be done without pain, and in some cases, without the patient being aware during the procedure.

Credit: citinewsroom.com

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