Northern Regional Health Director urges fairness in staff postings for Universal Health Coverage

Dr. Abdulai Abukari, the Northern Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), has called for stakeholders and the public to refrain from interfering in health staff postings and transfers. He emphasized the need for fairness in these processes to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC).

Speaking at the Regional Health Directorate’s 2023 Annual Performance Review Meeting, Dr. Abukari highlighted the

Read full articlechallenges faced in distributing medical staff across the region. He urged local medical professionals to accept postings to any part of the region as part of their social responsibility.

As of 2023, the Northern Region had 335 medical doctors, with 82% located at the Tamale Teaching Hospital. Dr. Abukari noted an improvement in the number of medical doctors within GHS facilities, from 30 to 50, by the end of 2023.

However, the region still faces challenges in achieving the right mix and equitable distribution of medical personnel.

Dr. Abukari also expressed concern about the inadequate number of district hospitals in the region. Out of 16 District Health Directorates, only 6 have a standard district health administration office complex. He highlighted the lack of accommodation for key staff as a serious challenge affecting health service delivery.

Regarding medicine availability, Dr. Abukari mentioned intermittent shortages at the Regional Medical Stores, affecting the supply of tracer medicines to health facilities.

Despite improvements from 44.2% in 2022 to 52.3% in 2023, he stressed the need for further enhancement in the availability of tracer medicines in health facilities.