The Upper East Regional Directorate of the Ghana Health Service has appealed for accommodation for doctors and other medical specialists to enhance healthcare delivery in the region.
According to the directorate, most doctors and specialists posted to the region reject posting over the lack of residential accommodation, a situation that is hindering healthcare delivery in the area.
The Regional Director of Health Services, Dr. Winfred Ofosu disclosed this at a mid-year review meeting of the service in the regional capital, Bolgatanga.
Dr. Ofosu revealed that the region has only 41 doctors at the various public health care centers making the doctor to patient ratio of 1 doctor to 30,000 patients, far below the revised doctor-patient ratio of 1 doctor to 600 by the World Health Organization.
He stated that, although the region urgently needs doctors and specialists, the lack of accommodation prevents them from coming to work in the area.
“In a number of our district hospitals we have just two or three doctors, and so there is a lot of pressure on them. We do not have a neurosurgeon in the region; we need an orthopedic surgeon, Neurologist, physicians among others. We are hoping to reduce the situation so we can have more doctors at the regional hospital and district hospitals.”
“But we do have a challenge with residential accommodation for doctors, and other specialists posted to the region. So in some of the peripheral facilities, even if you want to have 3 or 4 doctors where do you house them. So we are appealing to the government to put up staff accommodation to absorb doctors and specialists coming to the region to enhance the delivery of health-care services”.
Highlighting the performance of the region for the mid-year, Dr. Ofosu said, the region made gains in reducing maternal and malaria deaths.
He however expressed worry at rising teenage pregnancy rates in the area.
He said the region recorded Zero malaria deaths among children less than five years old.
“The region recorded 18 maternal deaths as at the half year 2018 against 23 deaths during the same period in 2017, but recorded a high teenage pregnancy rate of 16% as at the half year 2018 against 15% in 2017”.
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By: Frederick Awuni/citinewsroom.com/Ghana