Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has expressed deep concern over the low reportage of newly posted medical officers, urging them to embrace the government’s equitable distribution policy and take up their assignments in underserved districts across the country.
The Minister addressed the public through the press regarding a circulating news item, confirming that the update on the national posting of new medical officers “is not encouraging,” with regions like Upper West and Upper East reporting zero new doctors as of last Friday.
Akandoh strongly clarified the intent behind the directive, stating that the policy to post medical officers into districts should not be misconstrued or be seen as punishment. He insisted it should be viewed as an equitable distribution of our health workforce, designed to send doctors to areas where they are most needed.
”I am very confident that these newly posted medical doctors will respond to our call to save and serve Mother Ghana,” he remarked, noting the age-old challenge of healthcare worker distribution.
The Minister highlighted the alarming imbalance in doctor allocation, revealing a “scary data” point; “Nearly 50% of all medical doctors we have in this country are in Greater Accra alone.” He justified the government’s firm decision to now post officers where their services are most required to correct this disparity.
In response to the low turnout, the Ministry is extending a final grace period. The medical officers have been given an additional week to appeal to them to report to their various posted facilities. After this period, the Ministry will proceed with a “validation” process, confirming that “there’s no way we are going to change anything here,” as there will be no reversals of the postings.
To facilitate the doctors’ stay and work in the districts, the Ministry is actively engaging stakeholders, including regional ministers, members of parliament, District Chief Executives (DCEs), and chiefs. Furthermore, the government is exploring incentives to encourage doctors to give off their best in the districts.
The Minister confirmed his doors are open to discuss any challenges, stating, “I’m willing and ready to meet them to try to resolve” issues, but reiterated the finality of the current postings.
He provided specific, preliminary data on the number of doctors posted versus those who had reported to the Ghana Health Service as of last Friday. Regions with zero reportage include Upper West (32 posted), Upper East (35 posted), and North East (19 posted). Only one doctor has reported to Oti Region (21 posted).
Seven doctors have reported to Northern Region (32 posted) and Savannah Region (19 posted) respectively, and only two to Western North (31 posted). The regions reporting the highest numbers are Ashanti (25 reported out of 33 posted, Eastern (23 out of 36), Central (20 out of 34), and Greater Accra (16 out of 20).
Story By: Eugenia Ewoenam Osei
