Job freeze will fuel brain drain - Ghana Medical Association

If the government does not take steps to deal with the net freeze on employment, medical officers who have completed school will be forced to leave the shores of the country to serve other countries, Dr Justice Yankson, Deputy General Secretary of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), has warned.

According to him, the freeze is having a negative impact on the delivery of healthcare to Ghanaians due to inadequate medical officers employed to the various government health facilities across the country.

He added that the situation had also increased the doctor-to-patent ratio in the country.

Speaking to Chief Jerry Forson on Ghana Yensom on Accra100.5FM on Wednesday, 29 March, Dr Yankson said: “The net freeze on employment should not have affected doctors and nurses because of the essential services they are rendering to the state. Ordinarily, as soon as you are done with schooling, you should be employed.

“So if after eight months that financial clearance hasn’t come, there will be no employment and that is a problem.

“When you go all over the world, you will find Ghanaian doctors working very hard and those here may be compelled to join them if the situation is not addressed.”