The Upper West Regional Minister, Bede Ziedeng has directed all Municipal and District Assemblies in the region to provide free accommodation to doctors and other critical staff manning health facilities in the region.
At a press soiree held in Wa last Tuesday April 15, the Minister said the directive is part of measures put in place by the Upper West Regional Coordinating Council to motivate existing doctors in the area and to attract their counterparts in other regions to accept posting to the region.
He said: “Our challenge as a region is about how we can get health personnel in our health facilities and institutions. The RCC has directed all districts to provide free accommodation facilities to doctors and other critical staff. That is a critical attraction because nobody wants to get to a place and how to lay his head becomes a problem.”
The Upper West Region has chalked some successes in health infrastructure but still grappling with inadequate doctors and other health staff.
The region has increased the number of CHIPS compounds from 197 in 2004 to over 240 with the Japanese International Corporation Agency in the process of constructing an additional 38 new ones.
It has also been provided with 5 poly clinics within the last three years.
However, the over 700,000 people in the region have to depend on only six doctors because doctors don’t accept postings to the region.
What is more worrying is that records available indicate over 80% of mid wife nurses in the region are nearing retirement.
To improve the situation, Mr. Ziedeng said plans were far advanced to have at least one well endowed basic and Senior High School in each district capital to offer good learning opportunities to children of doctors who will accept posting to deprived districts of the region.
“We are committed to this because quality education is the pivot around which every family will want to revolve,” he noted.
The Minister called on journalists to consider the development of the region as a collective responsibility and appealed to them to project its numerous potentials to the rest of the world.
By: Mahama Latif/citifmonline.com/Ghana