Doctors advised to prepare for oil, gas cases

A member of the Ghana National Petroleum Corporation (GNPC) Board, Mr Kyeretwie Opoku, has stated that in spite of the country’s desire to get more Ghanaians employed in the petroleum industry, the country lacked such calibre of personnel.
He said that was partly due to the fact that about 20 years ago, when the GNPC indicated that there was the possibility of the country striking oil in commercial quantities in the near future, the country did not take it seriously and, therefore, did not prepare for it.
Mr Opoku was speaking at the 2nd annual general meeting of the Ghana Association of Quasi-government Health Institutions (GAQHI) in Accra on Wednesday. The theme for the event was: “Emerging Oil and Gas Industry: The role of Quasi Government Health Institutions”.
Mr Opoku took the opportunity to advise members of the association to adequately equip themselves on how to handle health conditions which were peculiar to the oil and gas industry in order not to be found wanting.
He, however, said the situation was not hopeless since the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST) and other institutions were currently training people to work in the industry.
He noted that until that time, organisations such as Tullow Oil and Kosmos Energy, which were operating in the country would continue to rely on the expertise of foreign nationals.
Mr Opoku said there was the possibility of an intensification of the migration pattern to places where there was oil but that also had its attendant health implications.
He also touched on the emergence of slums along the coast, a larger influx of foreign nationals with different lifestyles and health conditions, work-related stress and change of diet from local foods to processed ones, which was likely to have an effect on the health of Ghanaians who would be working on the oil rigs.
For his part, the Director of Human Resource at the Ministry of Health (MoH), Dr Ebenezer Appiah Denkyira, advised the doctors that in addition to caring for the health needs of people, they should also consider promoting environmental cleanliness.
He also urged them to specialise in appropriate areas such as occupational health and safety now that the country was getting ready to enter the oil and gas industry.
The President of GAQHI, Dr E. Kofi Asiedu, expressed the hope that the Occupational Health and Safety Bill which was receiving comments from various stakeholders would be laid before parliament for consideration and approval.
He said it was a major concern to the association since most of its members such as the health facilities of Anglogold Ashanti, Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority and the Volta River Authority had environmental and health challenges.
The chairman for the occasion, Dr A. B Quainoo, commended members of the association for coming up at long last and encouraged them to rise up to the occasion.
Quasi-government health institutions include Cocoa Clinic, Police Hospital, Military Hospital and the Trust Hospital and other health facilities run by government institutions..