Former Minister of Communications, Dr. Edward Omane Boamah has indicated that practicing healthcare workers feel overwhelmed and frustrated with the mismanagement of the economy and the health sector.
He added that coupled with the frustration with skilled healthcare givers, the new health graduates also feel exasperated, arguing that this lethal pair of frustrations has fuelled the mass exodus of health workers, which has left Ghana’s health sector deprived.
“The health workers just like millions of Ghanaians witnessed how the NPP stole millions of dollars meant to address the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana. They also see the millions of dollars wasted on the fraudulent National Cathedral pit project and the many other wasteful schemes of this government”.
Dr. Edward Omane Boamah
The former Communications Minister expressed concern about the state of the health sector in Ghana and called on the current Akufo-Addo Bawumia-led Ministry of Health (MoH) to take immediate action to address their incompetence and deal with the systemic issues that have plagued the sector for far too long.
He highlighted the need for better infrastructure, adequate staffing, improved access to medical supplies, and increased funding to support the delivery of quality healthcare services to the Ghanaian people.
The former Minister emphasized that failure to address these challenges promptly would have dire consequences for the health and well-being of the citizens of Ghana.
Dr. Omane further noted that instead of complaining about health professionals leaving Ghana’s shores in droves for greener pastures, the government must “fix” the country’s deteriorating Health System. “The exodus of doctors, nurses, and teachers has worsened!”, he added.
Moreover, the former Communications Minister stated that before the end of former President, John Mahama’s tenure in office in 2017, he (Mahama) handed over a massive hospital infrastructure that could employ many health professionals.
He argued that if the NPP government, during its seven years in office, had been equally serious about the country’s Health Sector as the Mahama government, more hospitals could have employed emigrating health professionals.
“With this negligence, experienced health workers feel overwhelmed… and this frustration has fuelled the mass exodus of health workers”. – Dr. Omane
Unemployment In The Health Sector
Dr. Omane noted that in the present scenario, there exists a considerable number of skilled and competent healthcare providers who are currently unemployed and are struggling to secure employment from the Ministry of Health (MoH).
He indicated that this situation has become a matter of concern for many healthcare institutions as they are struggling with understaffing issues and require additional personnel to meet the healthcare demands of the patients.
The shortage of healthcare providers, he noted, has resulted in inadequate healthcare services, longer wait times, and increased workload for the existing workforce.
The former Minister stated that it is imperative that the government takes measures to address this issue and ensure that unemployed healthcare providers are given opportunities to contribute their skills and knowledge to the healthcare sector.
He noted that spending the government’s resources to train health personnel just so they can either leave the shores of Ghana to contribute to the development of other countries or waste their skills at home waiting for posting is a waste of government resources.
Dr. Omane acknowledged the critical role that health workers play in the healthcare sector and the immense pressure that they face daily, and therefore, demanded that their working conditions be improved to reflect their contributions to society.
As such, he noted that the constant strike action by healthcare providers in the country affects healthcare delivery and also affects the well-being of Ghanaians. He asserted that the government must do well to meet the demands of health workers to ensure the lives of patients are not at risk due to strike actions.
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