ISODEC expresses concern over disparity in urban, rural areas
The Integrated Social Development Centre (ISODEC), a civil society organization, has expressed concern about the wider disparities that exit between the urban and rural areas when it comes to deployment of health personnel.
Ms Agnes Aganda, Coordinator of ISODEC in charge of Northern Ghana programmes, said if the problem was not looked into it would undermine government’s efforts at achieving the Millennium Development Goals four and five.
She said this at a Regional forum held in Bolgatanga on the placement of Health Personnel to deprived districts stated.
The forum organised by ISODEC under its “SIMAVI” project attracted stakeholders in health including Civil Society Organizations, Coalitions of NGO into Health, Community Based Organizations, Staff from the Ghana Health Service and among others was to brainstorm on how to address the problem of the refusal of health service personnel to deprived areas.
She said when it comes to the deployment of health personnel it was the rural and the deprived areas that needed them most and yet majority of them refused posting to such areas.
She cited for instance that the CHP Compounds that had been established at the community based level to bring health delivery to the doorsteps of the communities lacked health personnel particularly key personnel like midwives.
She appealed to the authorities to adopt a radical approach to tackling the problem and also called on politicians to stop interfering with the deployment exercise.
In a communiqué issued at the end of the forum the stakeholders called on Government to demonstrate more political commitment by devoting more resources to the training and motivation of health personnel, construction of health centers, CHPS and connection of health centers to the national grid or provide solar powers to such areas
Government, they noted, should tasked the various Metropolitan, Municipal and District Assemblies (MMDAs) to build more CHPS Compounds to improve access to healthcare
It further called on NGOs, CSOs and non-state actors to support the training of more health personnel help in the provision of residential accommodation and provision of motorbikes to health staff to facilitate health delivery.
“There is the need for management of Health institutions and head of health directorates to instill discipline and be firm in taking decisions to ensure that health personnel are equitable posted and to take punitive measures against those who refuse posting to the deprived communities.
The communiqué stressed the need for government to allow health workers in the Bawku Municipality, where a ban had been placed on motor riding, to ride bikes to enable them deliver health services to the people.
Source: GNA