Council expresses concern over new regulatory law

Accra, April 28, GNA - The Medical and Dental Council (MDC) on Friday expressed concern about the novelties in the reviewed NRCD 91 of 1972, which regulates doctors and other health professionals. According to them, the new law may group doctors and dentists with other categories of health workers and that may turn out to be controversial and vexatious if the contentious sections were not looked at again.

Professor Paul Nyame, Chairman of MDC, expressed these concerns at the induction of 127 newly qualified medical and dental practitioners in Accra.

The occasion was also used to honour 13 old practitioners for their lifetime achievements in the service of the profession. They were described as being faithful to the tenets of the profession, exemplifying the modern day disciples of Hippocrates and Mainoides and worked towards high standards and strictly ethical practice.

He said the proposal for the review of the law four years ago, became necessary after realising loopholes in the decree and the coming into effect of the 1992 Constitution. Prof. Nyame said the new doctors and dentists should exercise great influence over their patients' lives and should be responsible for their actions and be prepared to answer for any wrongdoing in the discharge of their duty.

"You become accountable for the oaths you have sworn before the Council and the good people and this should be a serious business with its own responsibilities."

The Council Chairman also expressed concern about the Government's delay in providing residential accommodation for doctors and other health workers posted to the districts and action which had given an excuse to doctors to take up locums away from their designated work places at the expense of patients.

"The new locum-money in the pocket of a doctor today buys a ticket out of the country", he said.

Prof Nyame noted that the new mode of postgraduate training, which required some training outside the teaching hospital, would face problems if accommodation was not provided for the trainees at their outstations in the districts and regional hospitals.

Mr Samuel Owusu-Agyei, a Deputy Minister of Health, said the Government was concerned and worried about the continuous exodus of health workers in spite of efforts to improve their conditions of service.

He charged the Council and other regulatory bodies to recommend measures to salvage the health delivery system from collapse.