Exodus of Health Personnel Undermines Us - JAK

Cape-Coast --PRESIDENT John Agyekum Kufuor had stated that mass exodus of health personnel to the advanced countries posed greater challenge to the development of under developing world.
This, he noted, was rendering various donor assistance towards improvement of health ineffective stressing the need for sustainable solution, which would ensure a win-win situation for both immigrants and host countries.
Mr. Kufuor said this in a speech read on his behalf by the Health Minister, Dr Kweku Afriyie at the opening ceremony of the Joint 20th Triennial Consultation / Conference of the Commonwealth Medical Association of the Ghana Medical Association yesterday.
President Kufuor noted that health promotion means provision of affordable, equitable and accessible quality health care delivery. He said, he was happy that despite immense difficulties, a National Health Insurance Scheme had been introduced throughout the country.
He said the success of the health scheme soley depended on the doctors who were currently working under severe constraints.
Theme for the occasion was "Achieving Millennium Development goals: maternal mortality, child survival, HIV/AIDS and gender."
He said the Johannesburg declaration was fundamental spirit underlying the bedrock of his government since he assumed office in January 2001. He said his presidency had identified poverty reduction, gender empowerment and promotion of good health as some of the benchmarks by which government had performed well within shortest possible time.
With regard to children, the president said plans were far advanced for the introduction of a new education scheme which would enable children have basic education by the year 2007, while those who could not proceed further would received apprenticeship.
Mr. Kufuor used the occasion to thank the organizers of the programme for hosting it in Ghana. This is the second time Commonwealth Medical Association Conference is being held in Africa. The first one was held in Mauritius.
Prof. Yaw Adu-Gyamfi, President of Ghana Medical Association said that without commitment, goals set out by the millennium declaration could be not achieved by the year 2015.