The Chief Executive Officer of the Ghana Association of Banks (GAB), John Awuah, has disclosed that about 70% of medical doctors in Ghana who take loans from local banks turn out to default in payment.

Speaking on PM Business Edition on JoyNews, as monitored by GhanaWeb Business, Awuah said this has fast become a problem within the banking sector.

According to him, many doctors who are generally regarded as highly credible take personal loans from banks and flee the country.

This, he said, is fueled by doctors who migrate abroad for work after securing loans locally.

“Let me tell you, we have heard of doctors. These are on the moral pecking order. When you see a medical doctor, you almost 100% assume that they are not fallible. They don’t make mistakes, and things like borrowing and payment will come to them naturally," he said.

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“Do you know what doctors are doing to the banking system, particularly those who are offshoring their services, like migrating to other jurisdictions to work? They have bank accounts. They use your bank statements," he said.

He emphasised that the Ghana Association of Banks has begun engaging the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to address the issue through diplomatic channels.

“Wherever they are going, they are working there and earning, and one would think that as medical practitioners, they will just say, ‘I have a liability in Ghana, which enabled me to demonstrate that I can fund my travel, so let me come and settle. About 70% of them are not paying," he shared.

He added that “There are processes we are going through with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to contact the diplomatic corps, since you don’t just wake up and write to them. We have started already, there is a letter logged at the ministry."

SP/AE

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