Doctors and nurses who migrate are "ungrateful"

Sunyani (Brong Ahafo) - Alhaji Dr.Mohammed Bin Ibrahim, Brong Ahafo Regional Director of Health Services on Monday stated that doctors and nurses owe a moral duty to stay in the country and contribute to its development.

It is a mark of ingratitude and great disservice for them to leave the nation for abroad in search of 'better' economic lot after being trained with resources produced by farmers and other taxpayers, he said.

Dr Ibrahim was speaking at a press soir?e organized by the Regional Health Directorate in Sunyani to enable the media practitioners to know more about the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and deepen the existing cordial GHS/Media relations.

The Regional Director appealed to health workers to remain in the country to work in repayment of investment spent on them "since the Government's effort to ensure the holistic development of the country requires the contributions of all professionals and every Ghanaian".

If all categories of professionals decide to leave the country for greener pastures abroad, who will remain here to work? he asked. Dr. Ibrahim said since health personnel contributed to improvement in health services, there was the need for the GHS to seek for the co-operation and collaboration of other professionals.

The Regional Health Directorate felt the need to cement the existing linkage between the GHS and the Press to enhance the new corporate image of the Service, he stressed. Dr Ibrahim said though the GHS was launched recently, it is determined to deliver the goods notwithstanding inadequate personnel and logistics.

He mentioned some of the methods and strategies that GHS had adopted in building its corporate image, stressing that the service would ensure sustainability in performance and achievement whilst maintaining standards.

The Regional Director added that the doors of the Service were opened and urged Media Practitioners to contribute and criticize where necessary for the achievement of the GHS objectives.

He indicated that the Service was determined to provide satisfactory services to its numerous customers, saying the situation called for a renewed commitment by its personnel to bring about drastic reduction in maternal and child mortality rate.

Dr Ibrahim said the high maternal and child mortality rate was "unacceptable" and challenged both the Media and GHS personnel to complement each other's effort to reduce the rate.

Charles Koomson, Regional Manager of Ghana News Agency and also Regional Vice-Chairman of Ghana Journalists Association (GJA) noted efforts by the GHS to strengthen its relationship with the press to reduce health problems.

He cited that the HIV/AIDS pandemic, which could infect any one at any time either consciously or unconsciously adding that it is an area that needed the fullest support of the media to erode the stigmatization and discrimination society attached to people living with HIV/AIDS.

Koomson, therefore, appealed to the Press to collaborate with the GHS to educate people to avoid acts and practices that would lead them to contract the pandemic to curb its further spread.

As media practitioners, we owe it a duty to the nation and the people to effectively play our role to promote compassion for those already infected, the regional GJA vice-chairman added. William Saawil Sopiimeh Regional Health Educator explained the new corporate image and the functions of the GHS to the Media Practitioners.