Solomon Boar with Dr Marcia Cobas Ruiz and her delegation in Tamale
Cuban doctors in Ghana have since September last year not received their allowance.
The Deputy Cuban Health Minister, Dr Marcia Cobas Ruiz, who disclosed this when she called on the Deputy Northern Regional Minister, Solomon Boar, in Tamale, said the Cuban doctors are having a hard time surviving in the country.
She explained that the situation of the Cuban doctors was affecting the delivery and discharge of their responsibilities and must be resolved immediately.
There are 20 Cuban doctors in Ghana, and 10 of them are in the Northern Region. Out of this, seven of the doctors are at the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH).
Dr Ruiz indicated that in the face of all the challenges and uncertainties, the Cuban government is willing and ready to deliberate and negotiate payment of the doctors.
She, however, revealed that she will take the matter up with the health minister to address the situation.
Dr Ruiz added that the government of Cuba is ready to add more doctors and deploy more at any point in time to help the government of Ghana to improve the doctor to patient ratio but under clear terms of payment and care for their doctors.
The over 35 years’ agreement between the two country allows for both parties to exchange medical doctors for further training and practice.
For the past decades, Cuba has been sending medical doctors to Ghana to complement the number of medical doctors in the country.
Mr Boar assured government’s commitment to improving healthcare delivery in Ghana and also improve the lot of the foreign doctors.
He said government through the Ghana Health Service (GHS) will do all that it can to ensure that the doctors are paid within the shortest possible time.
Mr Boar also called for an extension of the two years’ contract mandate of the doctors.
FROM Eric Kombat, Tamale