The President of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), Prof. Ernest Yorke, has called for calm and cooperation between health professional groups amid the ongoing impasse involving the Medical Laboratory Professionals Workers Union (MELPWU) and the Korle Bu Doctors Association (KODA) over access to the Korle Bu Central Laboratory.
The dispute centres on operational control and professional roles within the laboratory system at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital.
Prof. Yorke explained that laboratory medicine involves both laboratory scientists and physicians who specialise in laboratory practice, stressing that both groups play complementary roles in healthcare delivery.
He noted that laboratory technicians were historically trained to support physicians who work within laboratory medicine, adding that the system works best when both sides collaborate rather than operate in isolation.
According to him, there appears to be a global trend where physicians are being pushed out of laboratory spaces into consulting roles, a development he suggested is contributing to tensions in some health systems.
He further indicated that some doctors raising concerns are doing so to ensure quality standards in laboratory work and to maintain their involvement in the system.
Prof. Yorke stressed that the situation should not be framed as a contest between professional groups, but rather as a partnership necessary for effective healthcare delivery.
“I think we are partners and you can’t exclude one from the other. Therefore, let us be reasonable, both sides,, and work together to sort it out. I am hoping that the management of the teaching hospitals will be bold, supported by the Ministry to do what is right,” he said.
His comments come as efforts by the Ministry of Health continue to resolve tensions between the two groups to ensure smooth operations at the Korle Bu Central Laboratory.
