50% of Ghanaian doctors now working abroad – Report

The latest Ghana Human Development Report has shed light on the ongoing exodus of healthcare professionals from Ghana.

Titled ‘The Future Value of Work in Ghana,” the report has revealed about 24 percent of nurses trained in Ghana and 50 percent of doctors are currently working abroad due to poor working conditions.

The United Nations Development Program(UNDP) compiled the document in collaboration with the Statistical Service and the National Development Planning Commission.

The report has warned that Ghana’s health system could worsen if immediate steps are not taken to address the mass exodus.

The document pointed out that the health sector is in a dangerous state with urgent need for pragmatic measures to avert a total shutdown of the sector.

The report noted that during the COVID-19 outbreak, the health system demonstrated its robustness in coping with emergencies despite the challenges that emerged.

The reported cited the shortages of essential materials, such as personal protective equipment (PPE) during the COVID-19 outbreak, and the availability of qualified personnel.

The report further discussed Ghana’s health policy, emphasising the need for health promotion, palliative, and rehabilitative care, which have lagged behind preventive and curative care.

The authors also proposed the adoption of a life course approach to health delivery.

This they believed will make it possible to deal with the aged, persons with disability, and other marginalised persons who are unable to fully take advantage of curative and preventive care.