Blame lack of health personnel on politics

Stakeholders at a regional health forum in Bolgatanga on the Placement of Health Personnel in Deprived Districts observed that lack of health personnel in deprived communities was attributable to political influence.

The forum, which was organised by ISODEC on Friday, attracted stakeholders in health from Civil Society Organizations, Coalitions of NGOs in Health, Community Based Organizations and the Ghana Health Service.

It was to brainstorm on how to address the phenomenon where health personnel refused postings to deprived areas.

The participants, in a communiqué, noted that the deployment of health personnel to deprived districts was greatly affected by the majority who used politicians to influence management of the Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service, to reverse postings in their favour.

“This is seriously affecting and undermining effective health delivery in rural and deprived areas,” it said.

The communiqué called on government to as a matter of urgency, intervene in the matter to stop the practice, else government’s aim of achieving the Millennium Development Goals 4&5 would be greatly hampered.

It said the rural areas needed health professionals, especially in the Community Based Health Planning Centres (CHPS), stressing that: “it is quite alarming that sometimes all health personnel deployed to such areas refused posting without any tangible reasons".

The communiqué impressed on government to demonstrate more political commitment by devoting more resources to the training and motivation of health personnel, construction and connection of health centres to the national grid, or provision of solar power where there was the need.

Government, it noted, should task the various metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies to build more CHPS compounds to improve access to healthcare.

It called on Civil Society, Non-Governmental Organisations and non-state actors to support the training of health personnel, and help provide residential accommodation and motorbikes to staff to facilitate health delivery.

The communiqué appealed to government to allow health workers in the Bawku Municipality, where a ban had been placed on the use of motorbikes, to use the motorbikes to facilitate effective service delivery.