The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) is urging the government to provide hospitals in the country with the necessary equipment for effective and high-quality healthcare delivery.
The GMA believes that equipping health facilities with the required hospital machines will help prevent unnecessary referrals.
As an example, the GMA highlighted the Goaso Government Hospital, which serves as the Ahafo Regional Hospital but lacks a surgery lamp.
The GMA revealed that the Ahafo Region has only 94 doctors for a population of 565,000, resulting in a ratio of one doctor to 6,007 people. Similarly, the Bono East Region has 95 doctors for a population of 1,200,000, resulting in a ratio of one doctor to 12,632 people. The Bono Region has 123 doctors for a population of 1,200,000, resulting in a ratio of one doctor to 9,756 people. These ratios are significantly below the World Health Organization’s standard of one doctor per 1,000 people.
During the Brong Ahafo Division of the Ghana Medical Association’s 2nd Quarterly General Meeting in Goaso, Dr Alexander Kofi Egote, Chairman of GMA Bono, Bono East, and Ahafo Regions, emphasized that the theme of the program, “Attracting and Retaining Doctors in Bono, Bono East, and Ahafo Regions,” aligns with the government’s agenda of achieving universal health care coverage. He stated that universal health care can only be achieved with an adequate number of doctors in these three regions.
The Ahafo Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service, Dr Boakye Boateng who chaired the occasion praised doctors who accept posting to rural areas and therefore call on the Chiefs and people of Ahafo Region to initiate steps for an incentive package for doctors in Ahafo Region.
Source: Oyerepafmonline.com/Sullay Dramani
