Agona Swedru, April 17, GNA - The Central Regional Minister, Mr Isaac Edumadze, has suggested the bonding of medical and other health professionals to avert the brain drain in the sector.

He described the rate Ghana was losing health professionals to developed countries in search of greener pasture as alarming. Addressing the Central Regional People's Assembly at Swedru, Mr Edumadze said the government was making efforts to retain Doctors, nurses and other health professionals.

The Regional Minister was answering a participant who wanted to know what was being done to post more Doctors to the Swedru Government Hospital.

Currently there is only a Doctor at the hospital while the District Director of Health Services who supervises the sub-district clinics assists.

Mr Edumadze called for a national debate on the brain drain in the health sector to come out with a lasting solution to retain more health professionals in the country.

He noted that the government spent billions of cedis to train Doctors, nurses and other health professionals who refuse to stay in the country to work for the benefit of the people whose taxes was used to fund their training.

The Regional Minister urged District Assemblies in the region to take advantage of the opening of a Medical School at the University of Cape Coast to sponsor students to be trained as Doctors, Nurses and Pharmacists and other health professional to work in their areas after their course.

He asked Doctors, Nurses and other paramedical staff to support the implementation of the National Health Insurance Scheme.

Mr Edumadze also cautioned contractors executing projects to hasten work to finish on schedule or have their contracts terminated and said Regional Ministers had been given the power to cancel and give such contracts to competent and reliable ones.

Nana Ato Arthur, Deputy Regional Minister, said the government was working hard to reduce the cost of living, adding that it had made efforts to reduce the rate it inherited in 2000 to a single digit through prudent economic management.

He said the water problem facing the region would be the thing of the past with the construction and rehabilitation of water head works at Assin Fosu, Cape Coast, Baafikrom and Agona Kwanyako.

The Deputy Regional Minister stated that the government had secured 11 million dollars to construct new classroom blocks and to train more teachers to meet the increased number of enrolment as a result of the capitation grant.

Mr Ben Mensah, Agona District Chief Executive, enumerated the number of projects the government had undertaken from 2001-06 in the areas of education, health, sanitation and roads. 17 April 06