Management and staff of the Bolgatanga Hospital have refuted allegations levelled against the Medical Director of the Bolgatanga Hospital, Dr Aduko Amiah, that he was responsible for the refusal of doctors to accept posting to the region, hence the acute shortage of
doctors in the area.

They also refuted another allegation levelled against him that he was very harsh on staff and students of the Nursing Training College.

Reading a statement on behalf of the staff, the acting Medical Director of the Hospital, Dr Richard Anongura, said the issue of doctors refusing posting to the region was an age old problem that was not peculiar to the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital but the whole region and indeed all the three northern regions.

“The reasons why doctors do not accept posting to the north is not necessarily due to the attitude or management style of an individual but rather due to economic, social and career issues”, he said.

He said economically doctors shied away from the three northern regions because they lacked opportunities to earn extra income from private practice.

Dr Anongura said socially doctors and other health professionals refused posting to the area because of lack of good schools for their children and other social amenities.

He said doctors and other health professionals posted to the region were like people consigned to Siberia because they were far away from getting opportunities to upgrade their knowledge and skills through conferences, seminars and long courses that are available to their counterparts in the southern sector.

Dr Anongura said since doctors were very few in the region, they were not able to take their annual leave.

Another issue is since doctors refuse transfer to the region, those there get stuck, unable to go on leave or go on transfer.

He said despite all the challenges facing doctors and health professionals in the region there were no incentive packages put in place by the government.

“The real problem therefore lies with the institutional arrangements and not individual personalities”, he said.

Dr Anongura appealed to all authorities in the health sector, including the government to take the bull by the horns and do the right thing to attract doctors and health processionals to the region.

Tags: bolgatanga, doctors, Health, hospital