Dr. Frank Ankobea
THE GHANA Medical Association (GMA) is set to investigate reports that 13 medical doctors have allegedly refused postings to the Central Region.
The President of the GMA, Dr. Frank Ankobea, has therefore urged the Ministry of Health to provide the GMA with names of those medical doctors for investigation to commence.
There were recent media reports that suggested that 13 medical doctors that were posted to the Central Region to work had rejected the postings.
What influenced the medical doctors not to accept the postings was not immediately known but some suspected that the deprived nature of Central Region could be a possible cause.
Commenting about the issue on Kumasi-based OTEC FM, Dr. Frank Ankobea said the GMA was not aware of the development, for which reason it would probe the issue.
He, however, did not state what punitive action the GMA would take against the 13 doctors if their investigation proved that they indeed refused postings to the Central Region.
He said it is the responsibility of every trained medical doctor in the country to accept postings to any place in the country to work “so I will be surprised if the report is true”.
Dr. Frank Ankobea, however, suspected that the 13 medical doctors might have travelled outside the country to work, hence their refusal to go to the Central Region.
He complained that newly qualified medical doctors usually stay in the house without work for far too long before government gives them financial clearance to start work.
“I suspect the newly trained doctors are leaving the shores of Ghana to work in other countries because they are made to stay in the house for far too long before they are posted.
“Doctors are highly trained professionals but unfortunately we are losing them to other countries that did not spend a pesewa on their training”, he bemoaned.
Dr. Frank Ankobea entreated government to quickly address the delay in the posting of newly trained doctors, so that brain drain would not hit medical doctors.
The GMA president also admonished government to give some incentives to medical doctors that are posted to the deprived areas to help motivate them.
FROM I.F. Joe Awuah Jnr., Kumasi