Curbing migration of health workers: MoH to develop policy
A policy to tighten procedures for the training, deployment, retention and reintegration of the nation’s health workforce to meet both local and global demands is to be developed by the Ministry of Health.
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The policy is aimed at addressing issues of migration of health workers in the country.
The sector minister, Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, who announced this, said it would also ensure “financial and brain gain" from the overseas deployment of health professionals through beneficial bilateral agreements.
He was speaking at the opening of this year's annual performance review meeting of the Health, Agriculture, Relief and Development Services of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG) in Accra.
It was on the theme: “Jesus Christ, the Alpha and the Omega: Spreading the gospel through impactful social services”.
In attendance were the Moderator-elect of the PCG, Rev. Dr Abraham Nana Opare Kwakye, and the Clerk of the General Assembly of the PCG, Rev. Dr Godwin Nii Noi Odonkor.
The minister said the policy was driven by the current health sector migration, a global issue that was creating challenges in the sector.
He said his outfit had also taken steps to improve the training, recruitment and retention of health workers.
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The minister lauded the PCG for its role in the socio-economic development of the country over the years, especially in the area of healthcare delivery.
Mr Agyeman-Manu said the ministry, in collaboration with stakeholders, was also making efforts to provide the people with well-trained health professionals to offer prompt and efficient services.
He said health facilities of the PCG which were spread across the country had complemented the government’s efforts at improving quality healthcare delivery.
He gave an assurance that the government would continue to partner churches for the accelerated development of the country.
The outgoing Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana, Rt. Rev. Prof. Joseph Obiri Yeboah Mante, said the church was happy to partner the government to enhance health delivery services in the country.
He expressed gratitude to the government for elevating the Kom Presbyterian Clinic into a district hospital.
Rt Rev. Prof. Mante also said that the church, in its 195 years, had been a Christ-centred, self-sustaining,and growing church that had used a three-pronged approach in its mission work — preaching, teaching and healing.
The moderator added that the church was also undertaking a holistic mission by operating under three broad themes — spiritual, moral and social witness.
He said the church had established some 60 health facilities, including specialised hospitals, across the West African sub region.
Commendation
The Executive Director of the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG), Dr Peter K. Yeboah, commended the Presbyterian Church for being the third largest health service provider in the country after the Ghana Health Service and the Roman Catholic Church.
The Director of Development and Social Services of the PCG, Rebecca Teiko Sabah, said the four-day event, which had managers of the 60 health institutions, six agricultural stations and relief organisations of the church as participants, also took stock of the previous year’s activities and charted the way forward.
She said the review meeting would also be used to adopt policy decisions aimed at injecting modernisation into its activities, as well as share decisions with policymakers to promote good agricultural and health practices in beneficiary communities.
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