Health workers warned against refusal of transfer

Accra. Nov. 26, GNA - Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa, Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) on Friday said staff of the GHS, who refuse to go on transfer to the rural areas, should count themselves fired from the GHS.

He said several GHS staff continued to brave the storm in the rural areas, while most of those, who sat in the regional capitals lazy about, performed abysmally and refused to go on transfer to the rural areas, when asked to do so.


"We would no more condone such attitudes from the staff in the regional capitals, because the citizens in the rural areas are also Ghanaians and they need the services of health workers as well," he warned.


Speaking at the 2004 GHS Awards Night for Excellence, Prof. Akosa observed that instead of going on transfer in the rural areas, most GHS staff in the regional capitals resigned and take employment with private clinics and hospitals in the capital. "We are going to tell all the private health facility operators to stop employing such recalcitrant health workers. We will let them know that there are other Ghanaians in the rural areas, who also need health care," he said.


He noted that the GHS staff in the rural areas performed with such breath-taking professionalism and commitment even though they worked and lived in very poor conditions.


Prof. Akosa noted that, in some of the rural areas, GHS staff operated one-man health facilities and manned these facilities with proficiency, efficiency and amazing commitment for the health of the people there.


"It is rather our staff in the regional capitals, who enjoy relatively better working and living conditions, as well as the support of several colleagues, who have very poor and deplorable attitude to work and we are going to stop that," he warned.

He said the GHS would continue to acknowledge and reward its hardworking staff, who performed with excellence, no matter where they are.


"Even if your sacrifice and performance does not appear on the national radar, the GHS radar will always locate you and reward you for your hard work," he assured the rural staff.


He said it was the breath-taking commitment of the rural staff that inspired the institution and inclusion of the Director-General's Special Awards in the GHS Annual Award Scheme.


Seven people won the D-Gs special awards and each of them took home 50 million cedis cash.


They include Ms. Salome Brew (MA), Dadieso, Western Region, Ms. Georgina Addo, Kumeso, Ashanti Region, Dr. Bonsu, Abora Dunkwa, Central Region, Ms. Mercy Addae, Dedeso (Fanteakwa District), Eastern Region, Ms Brenda Awuku (MA), Ashaiman, Greater-Accra Region, Dr. Anthony Ofosu, Sene District and Dr. Edward Gyadere, Upper West Region.


The best wards for the night, best Midwife of the year and best Community Health Officer of the year were also won by rural staff of the GHS, Ms. Matilda Mamuna Soale, Daboya Health Centre in the West Gonja District of the Northern Region and Mrs. Victoria Owusu, Pokuase in the Amasaman District of Greater Accra Region respectively.