Britain concerned about comments on recruitment of health workers

Dr. Rod Pullen, British High Commissioner, on Wednesday expressed concern about comments attributed to Dr. Sam Adjei, Deputy Director of the Ghana Health Services (GHS), and Mr. Moses Dani Baah, Deputy Minister of Health (MOH) on an unprecedented move by developed countries, including the United Kingdom, to recruit health professionals from Ghana.

In a letter to the Minister of Health and copied to the Press, Dr. Pullen said the comment, which appeared in a section of the media added that one UK doctor had recruited 90 nurses this year.

It claimed that these nurses had their document processed within few days "and those who had loans and other financial commitment got them settled by the UK Health Services to enable them to leave as soon as possible."

The publication, he said, quoted the Deputy Minister of Health as saying they had raised the issue at several international fora but authorities in the UK seem adamant with the excuse that "we live in a global village, where there should be no restrictions".

The High Commissioner said he had earlier written to the Minster's predecessor explaining the position of the British Government on the recruitment of health care professional.

He added that the British Department of Health issued guidelines in November 1999 to the British National Health Service concerning international recruitment of medical professionals.

The guidelines emphasise that, "such recruitment should take place only when it will have no adverse effect on the recruit's home healthcare system, and that NHS employers should not actively recruit from developing countries who are experiencing shortage of their own".

Dr. Pullen noted that in the said letter to the Minister and in subsequent ones, he asked that details of cases where NHS Trust had breached the guidelines be forwarded to him, but had received no such detail or response to his letters.

He said he was therefore, asking for such information adding, "I would be happy to receive it, and pass it on to the UK Department of Health for investigation." Dr Pullen noted that The Statesman of October 30 had called on Britain to fund Ghanaian medical schools.

"As you are aware, the British Government is already working closely with Ghana on health issues providing development assistance of some eight million pounds per annum (102 billion cedis) to the health sector through the Department for International development (DFID).

DFID, he said, was also working with MOH and the GHS to address the retention of staff in the sector and to support the long-term human resource strategy, adding that the commitment of the British government to assisting the development to GHS was clear.

"We fully appreciate the concerns expressed about the emigration of large numbers of health professionals from Ghana. We share them. Indeed the retention within Ghana of trained health professional is an issue that had been identified under our current assistance programme. "I hope it can be taken forward as appropriate within that forum, in a spirit of co-operation."