Health News of Tuesday, 8 November 2022

Source: atinkaonline.com

90% of doctors want to leave Ghana- Survey reveals

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President of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), Dr. Frank Serebuor, has revealed that, per a survey conducted by the association, most Ghanaian doctors are considering leaving the country.

He mentioned that a survey conducted among 360 medical doctors indicated that 90 per cent of them have considered leaving Ghana.

Dr. Frank Serebuor made this statement at the just-ended 64th annual general conference of the Association in Bolgatanga.

He noted that the doctors want a better condition of service, for which they are seeking to leave the shores of Ghana.

“Immigration of medical doctors from Ghana is an age-old problem that continues to deplete the country of much needed human resources. In recent times there has been a surge in the number of health workers including medical doctors leaving the country.”

“The reasons for immigration of doctors seem to vary with time. A recent survey of 360 doctors currently practicing in Ghana showed that about 90 per cent have ever considered leaving the country to move to more developed countries.

“The reason for which doctors leave Ghana include the search for better income, improved working living conditions, better life and schools for their children and opportunities for further education,” Dr Frank Serebuor added.

This comment by the GMA comes after the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) in July 2022 revealed that 3,000 nurses left Ghana in search of greener pastures abroad during the first quarter of 2022.

“Just during the first quarter, about 3,000 nurses, including practicing nurses, left the shores of the country to seek greener pastures abroad. Most of them headed straight to the UK, where they believe their welfare and better future would be ensured. They only write an examination and leave to UK,” Ebenezer Acquah, the Ashanti Regional Assistant Secretary for GRNMA told press men.