By Jibril Abdul Mumuni
Accra, June 22, GNA – Uneven distribution of medical specialists is widening disparities in access to healthcare services across Ghana, Professor Samuel Debrah, President of the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons has said.
He said the concentration of specialists in urban centres continued to undermine equitable access to care despite progress in training.
Prof. Debrah made the observation during an inaugural lecture on postgraduate medical education and training on the theme “Postgraduate Medical Education and Training in Ghana: Now and the Future.”
He said inadequate funding and other systemic constraints had limited efforts to expand specialist services beyond major cities and teaching hospitals.
Prof. Debrah noted that the concentration of specialists in a few urban-based facilities placed a significant burden on patients in rural and underserved communities, who often travelled long distances to access care.
He called for a deliberate shift towards decentralising specialist healthcare delivery through strengthened regional and district health facilities to improve nationwide access.
Prof. Debrah also highlighted the growing role of technology in addressing inequalities in healthcare delivery.
He said advances such as telemedicine, artificial intelligence and remote monitoring systems could support the extension of specialist care to underserved areas.
Prof. Debrah said the future of healthcare delivery would increasingly depend on the integration of clinical practice with innovation, data science and emerging technologies, requiring specialists to acquire skills beyond traditional clinical training.
He stressed that future specialists must be equipped with competencies in digital literacy, innovation management and systems improvement to function effectively in a modern, decentralised health system.
Prof. Debrah said that although Ghana had made progress in postgraduate medical education, sustained investment, improved infrastructure and strategic workforce planning were necessary to ensure equitable access to specialist services.
He called for closer collaboration among government, training institutions and stakeholders to develop a comprehensive approach combining training, technology and equitable workforce distribution.
He warned that without such measures, disparities in access to specialist care would persist, undermining efforts to improve health outcomes and achieve universal health coverage.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Sackey