The Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has expressed concern over the refusal of newly posted doctors to report to their duty stations and has given them one additional week to do so.
Mr Akandoh confirmed that initial reporting rates are “not encouraging”, with data indicating a national crisis where 7 out of every 10 doctors posted to assigned regions have not reported.
The minister’s statement comes amid alarming figures showing that regions in critical need of personnel, such as the Upper West and Upper East, recorded zero reported cases as of last Friday.
In the Upper West Region alone, a staggering 25 out of the 32 allocated medical doctors have so far refused their postings, threatening healthcare access for nearly one million residents.
“We will give them an additional week to appeal to them to report to their various facilities where they have been posted, after which we’ll do what we call validation,” he stated.
He stressed that the postings would not be changed.
“Unfortunately, there’s no way we are going to change anything here, unfortunately, and so we will give them one more week to report to their various health facilities,” he said
The minister explained that the government is also engaging key stakeholders at the local level to support the doctors.
“We are also engaging the stakeholders in their respective districts—regional ministers, members of parliament, DCEs, chiefs—to facilitate their stay in their district to be able to give up their best,” he noted.
On incentives for the doctors, he added:
He further disclosed that stakeholder engagement is already underway to provide support, such as accommodation.
“I have personally engaged stakeholders to make provisions such as accommodation and other things I do not want to put out there,” he said.
Source: MyJoyonline
