Policy on doctors’ postings critical- Speakers (The Mirror)

Sat. December 18, 2009
SPEAKERS at a symposium organised by the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons (GCPS) in Accra have called for a definite policy to ensure that an appreciable number of doctors accept postings to the rural communities.
They noted that without a clear national decision on the issue, a large number of doctors would continue to stay in the teaching and regional hospitals while the district hospitals where majority of the people patronised, lacked doctors.
The symposium, which was held on “Residency Training and Needs in the Districts”, was part of the college’s Sixth Annual General and Scientific Meeting. The theme for the three-day event was “Poverty and Health” and was attended by senior health practitioners, health administrators, heads of district health facilities, members of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health and other interest groups.
During the presentations by various speakers, it came out that while district hospitals in the Greater Accra Region had an average of seven doctors per hospital, districts in the three northern regions had one doctor each and two or three doctors each for rest of the districts in country.
Members of the Parliament Select Committee on Health led by its chairman, Dr Mustapha Ahmed, attended the symposium and made contributions. The other members present were Dr Richard Anane, MP for Bantama; Dr Matthew Opoku Prempeh, MP for Manhyia, and Dr Kofi Asare, MP for Akwatia.
Presenting a paper on “Teacher’s Experience”, Professor J. K Aquaye of the Department of Haematology, Korle Bu Teaching Hospital (KBTH), called for the establishment of health training institutions at the district levels to train personnel who would be willing to work in the districts after their training.
He also called for the creation of a permanent standing committee of all stakeholders in healthcare delivery, to deliberate on the matter of doctors in the districts.
The Rector of the college, Professor Paul Nyame, suggested that doctors in Ghana should be bonded just as persists elsewhere so that they would spend some years working for the country after schooling.
He pointed out that local government should be involved in the training of doctors for the districts, adding that the district assemblies should have ownership of the institutions when they were established.
For his part, the Director of Human Resource Division of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr S. Anemana, said some of the issues which discouraged doctors from working in the districts included the volume of work; abandonment of such doctors by the health authorities; no career development; loss of ‘locum’ and lack of mentoring.
Others are no continuing medical education (CME); no salary differentials; poor accommodation and no good schools for children of doctors.
Dr Anemana suggested better conditions of service for those who accepted postings to rural communities and continue to stay and work there, adding that it would motivate them to stay and perform.
Other speakers were Dr P.E. Karikari, the Medical Director of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital, and Dr C. Tasiame, Member, Radiology.
They spoke on the “Teaching Hospital’s Experience” and the “Resident’s Experience” respectively.
At the end of the symposium, it came out that for doctors to accept postings to the rural communities, the government should play its role by providing the needed logistics at the health facilities as well as incentives for doctors.