Dr John Koku Awoonor -Williams, Upper East Regional Director of Health Services has said that a comprehensive quality health service can be achieved if human resource issues confronting public health providing institutions were tackled well.

Dr Awoonor-Williams expressed this concern at a recent health sector review meeting in Bolgatanga where he complained about the high rate of wastage and replacement problems confronting the regional health directorate.

He said out of 54 staff members who retired in 2012, 18 were Midwives, and in 2011, seventeen seasoned midwives also retired as well as 18 in 2013.

He said one Doctor vacated his post whilst nine Doctors posted to the region in 2012 failed to turn up.

The Director said in compliance with the new staff placement policy for nurses and midwives, a total of 42 health professionals were posted out of the region, and only four new staff members were replaced in the region from the headquarters.

To motivate nurses and midwives to be retained, he called on the Ministry of Health (MoH) and Nurses and Midwives Council to consider the awards of diploma certificates instead of certificates to graduates from the training schools.

“We anticipate a significant improvement in the numbers of midwives especially post- basic midwives with the introduction of special sponsorship for the training of midwives by each district”. He added.

To this effect, he said 52 freshly trained post basic midwives had been posted to the various health facilities for their one year practical attachment.

He said the directorate would also roll out initiatives including the three years bond for nurses and midwives graduating from the training schools as measures to retain staff in the region.

He noted that the period of replacement of other categories, apart from nurses and midwives, took so long that their replacement clearance got expired due to delays in the process and called for a review of the staff replacement policy.