Ghana – Accept postings to villages – Akufo-Addo to doctors

President Akufo-Addo has charged doctors in the country to exhibit a higher sense of commitment even as they undertake their duties.

He explained that the move will help Ghanaians have confidence in the country’s health delivery system leading to high patronage in health services.

Speaking at the first section of the 50th Congregation of the University of Cape Coast for the School of Medical Sciences, which saw 56 medical doctors graduating, Nana Akuffo-Addo urged the new doctors to support measures by the government in bringing lasting relief to Ghanaians in the arena of health care delivery.

The doctors,rs , he added, must not kick against posting to remote areas of the country as those are the places that their services will be needed most .

“Our doctor patient ratio is even more lump sided when you get to the rural and deprived areas of our country. I do not put the all the blame on our medical doctors unwillingness to work in these communities. If we had good road networks and good schools are available around the country and not only in the urban centers, if we had electricity supply in all communities we will not have to be asked indeed insist that our young doctors take up postings in the rural communities. As we train more doctors to solve the shortage of doctors, we must also do more to keep them”.

The government , he added, will also do its part in ensuring the best of conditions of services for them including providing the needed amenities at the various parts of the country so that the doctors ensure their stay in at rural areas .

He also pledged to do more in producing more doctors thereby reducing the current doctor – patient ratio which stands at a doctor to 8,000 patients .

“…our medical schools have got a good reputation and have been training good doctors but the doctor population ratio in our country remains very unsatisfactory after 60 years of independence. We have trained a lot of doctors but many are not practicing in Ghana. We have lost them to mostly to countries like the United States of America, United Kingdom and Germany. I’m told that Ghana’s doctor patient ratio is approximately one doctor to 8,000 patients. This is woefully inadequate and unacceptable,” he noted.