The government has announced plans to deploy 700 medical doctors to districts where their services are most urgently needed, the Minister of Health, Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has disclosed. This initiative is part of a broader strategy to strengthen primary healthcare delivery and accelerate progress toward universal health coverage.
Mr Akandoh made the announcement during the inauguration of the newly constructed St. Martin’s Memorial Hospital at Odorkor in the Greater Accra Region. The facility will offer specialist services with qualified doctors, physicians, and trained nurses, alongside a 24-hour accident, emergency, and pharmacy division to serve the community and surrounding areas.
Highlighting the unequal concentration of health professionals in urban centres, the Minister described the situation in rural communities as unacceptable. He urged health workers to view the deployment as a national effort to promote fairness and improve health outcomes, rather than a punitive measure. To incentivise service in hard-to-reach areas, special incentive packages will be provided for health workers accepting such postings.
Mr Akandoh commended St. Martin’s Memorial Hospital for its continuous expansion, noting that public-private partnerships are crucial to improving access to quality healthcare nationwide. The Member of Parliament for North Dayi, Ms Joycelyn Tetteh Quarshie, lauded the group for more than three decades of healthcare service, highlighting the positive impact of modern health centres on household incomes, education, and community development.
St. Martin’s CEO, Mr Seme Mawuli Addom, urged the government to extend the deployment of health professionals to private and non-profit health facilities to scale up quality healthcare in rural areas. He noted that many community-based hospitals struggle to attract qualified staff, affecting service delivery and employment opportunities for nurses and doctors.
BY EUGENE AMPIAW
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