We need a criteria for selecting health professionals – Journalist champions

Co-Host of the Happy Morning Show, Sefah-Danquah, has charged government and responsible authorities to take persons aspiring to be health professionals through rigorous selection processes.

According to him, the behavior of some health professionals do not qualify them to be on that career path.

“The point must be made clear, its high time we take a critical look at the people who enter into the medical profession. In as much as we have sat here and spoken about inadequate equipment for medical officers, we also need to look at the behavior and character of the people in the medical field. Just like the military has a criterion for selecting staff, we have to do same for medical staff. This is how we can identify their motivation for joining the filed,” he shared.

In a special discussion on the show, focused on medical negligence and malpractice, he disclosed some medical professionals are forced into the field, affecting their output and sees them risking the lives of patients other than saving them.

Sefah-Danquah further indicated in some rare cases, persons forced into the filed grow to love it and execute their duties effectively and efficiently. “Some doctors will even complain of tiredness when they have to attend to patients and that’s not right. We need to put in place measures to make sure medical malpractice cases are reduced drastically. We also need to look at what motivates nurses. Are they motivated by money or to serve? It is high time we make sure those who are motivated to serve are the ones chosen to do the work.”

With doctors covering up for colleagues engaged in medical malpractice being the order of the day, Sefah-Danquah chastised them as he believes such acts will only motivate them (doctors) to keep doing these wrongs.

Just as the United States of America (USA) and other European countries take seriously cases of medical negligence, the journalist charged the government to do same. “I was looking at data in the USA where medical negligence and malpractice is rampant and they don’t forgive offences. When a doctor is found out to have not treated a patient well, they make sure the right action is taken.”