Ghana Medical Association calls for single financial clearance for fresh doctors

The Ghana Medical Association(GMA) has called on the Ministry of Health to get a single financial clearance for the engagement of newly graduated medical officers for their housemanship and permanent employment.

The Association explained that the situation where the first financial clearance cover only the two years housemanship of the new medical officers and another financial clearance had to be sorted for the permanent employment of the officers was unacceptable.

The Association maintained that the period for the expectation of the second clearance which results in the new graduated officers to spend months in the house waiting at the time of poor doctor/patients ratio in the country was also unacceptable.

This was contained in a communiqué issued at the end of the 60th Anniversary Annual General Conference of the Association which was read at a press conference by the National President of the Association, Dr Frank Ankobea at Koforidua.

The communiqué called on health workers to take good care of their diet, health and rest well to stay healthy to be able to deliver quality healthcare to the people of Ghana.

The Association called for the punishment of National Health Insurance (NHI) offenders and corrupt healthcare providers and staff of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).

The communiqué called on government to review the policy that ensure that health institutions buy core drugs from Central and Regional Medical Stores which has resulted in an acute shortage of some essential medicines in health facilities across the country.