Central Region woos Medical Doctors

By Isaac Arkoh

Cape Coast, Nov. 14, GNA – The Central Regional Directorate of the Ghana Health Services (GHS) has reached out to health personnel, particularly Medical Doctors, to accept posting to the Region to enjoy the goodies that await them.

Dr. Marion Okoh-Owusu, the Regional Director of GHS, said they had embarked on a multifaceted human resource empowerment, infrastructure and logistical backup plan that had been progressing the vision steadily to attract and retain health professionals.

As part of the strategy, she hinted that more than 15 newly qualified Medical Doctors had expressed readiness to work in the Region.

In all, she said the Region was determined to attract not less than 50 Medical Doctors to augment the existing ones working tirelessly in facilities across the Region.

Addressing the media after her maiden stakeholders’ engagement in Cape Coast on Monday, Dr. Okoh-Owusu reminded the health fraternity of the chances in the Region for ‘research and personal self-discovery.’

She reminded them of the abundant opportunities for professional development and urged them to strategically position themselves in the development triangle between Greater Accra, Ashanti, and Western Regions.

Dr. Okoh-Owusu took office on Monday, September 18, succeeding Dr. Akosua Sarpong who she applauded together with past Directors for laying a solid foundation anchored on quality health care services.

Outlining her vision, she pledged to deepen public health emergency services to respond adequately to the needs of the public through a network of pro-activeness and linkages at the district and facility levels.

She affirmed her support for training, motivation and coaching to ensure all health personnel understood government policies and programmes to better serve humanity while encouraging rewards systems to motivate them.

Managers of facilities were also charged to adopt prudent financial and innovative management models to ensure facilities were managed, particularly those in difficult to reach communities.

She commended personnel of the Service for working hard to reduce maternal and neonatal deaths, saying the quest for quality health care was a collective responsibility.

The Directorate, she indicated would ensure effective coordination of activities, judicious management of health resources (human, logistics, equipment, and infrastructure) and provide guidance and technical support to the lower levels.

It would continue to implement approved health sector polices in such a manner to ensure access to priority health interventions.

Earlier, various departments under the Directorate took turns to update stakeholders on their operations and the state of work for the year and years ahead.

Among others, they raised pertinent organizational, logistical, human resource and legal challenges including land encroachments, facility indebtedness to Regional Medical Stores and delay in reimbursement of funds from the National Health Insurance Scheme.

Others were staff motivation, limited accommodation, inadequate equipment, bad roads, old infrastructure, and challenges with oxygen plant.

GNA