District Doctors refuse post

Story: Matilda Attram
The delay in posting doctors to the rural areas is the result of the refusal of junior doctors to work in such places when posted, Mr Kofi Amponsah-Bediako, the Government Spokesperson for Social Services, has said.
He bemoaned the relatively few doctors presently serving in the rural areas of the country as against the growing number of patients who urgently needed medical attention.
He told the Daily Graphic that though the leadership of the Ghana Health Service was aware of that challenge and was working hard to address the situation the problem still persisted.
Mr Bediako, who expressed regret about the refusal of medical doctors to accept postings to the deprived areas of the country, noted that few doctors stayed at the district capitals whilst some refused transfer to regional hospitals.
“The delay in postings has exerted pressure on the few doctors at post, and currently the doctor-patient ratio in some district hospitals in the country has worsened due to delayed postings,” he remarked.
The government spokesperson, however, disclosed that a scheme named “Deprived Area Incentive Allowance” had been instituted to serve as an incentive for health personnel serving in the rural areas.
He said the Ghana Health Service was expected to act expeditiously with regard to postings of health personnel to forestall problems in district hospitals in particular.