Only three out of the 26 medical doctors posted to the Upper East Region have reported to their respective duty stations, raising serious concerns about healthcare delivery in the region.
The Upper East Regional Minister, Donatus Akamugri Atanga, confirmed that despite official postings made several weeks ago, the majority of the doctors are yet to show up, worsening an already critical shortage of medical personnel in public health facilities.
The Upper East Region, like many parts of northern Ghana, continues to struggle with limited access to healthcare, particularly in rural and hard-to-reach communities.
The failure of most of the newly posted doctors to assume duty has placed additional pressure on the few available medical staff, leading to increased workloads, longer waiting times, and delays in patient care.
The Minister said out of the 26 doctors posted to the region, only five have reported, with three currently on duty at the Upper East Regional Hospital.
According to him, “One doctor is yet to report to the Paga Hospital, while the remaining posted doctors have not reported at all.
“These figures underscore the urgency of attracting and retaining qualified medical personnel in the region.”
He noted that the doctor-to-patient ratio in the region had seen a marginal improvement, moving from one doctor serving 17,173 people to one doctor attending to 14,072 people. However, he stressed that this still falls significantly short of the national target of one doctor to 7,500 people.
The minister said the persistent refusal of doctors to accept postings to the Upper East Region continues to pose a major challenge to effective healthcare delivery.
To address the long-standing shortage of doctors and medical specialists, Atanga announced plans to establish a medical school at the University of Technology and Applied Sciences (UTAS) and to upgrade the Upper East Regional Hospital into a teaching hospital.
He explained that the initiative, being spearheaded by the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) in collaboration with UTAS and the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons, would also introduce specialist training programmes at the Regional Hospital.
These will begin with Paediatrics and Obstetrics and Gynaecology, with surgical and other specialties to be rolled out in subsequent years.
Atanga disclosed that admissions for prospective medical students under the proposed medical school have already commenced.
He further announced that the RCC has allocated office space to the Health Facilities Regulatory Agency (HeFRA) to strengthen regulatory oversight of both public and private health facilities in the region.
The HeFRA office, located on the ground floor of the RCC building, is staffed by a regional coordinator and four officers responsible for licensing, monitoring, and ensuring quality healthcare delivery.
The minister assured residents of the Upper East Region of the government’s continued commitment to improving healthcare delivery and saving lives, while appealing to medical professionals to accept postings to underserved areas in the national interest.
