A former Upper East Regional Director of Health Services, Dr Williams Koku Awoonor, has called on government to establish a more conducive environment for healthcare workers considering postings to rural areas.
With years of experience in the medical field, Dr Woonor understands the challenges faced by healthcare professionals in underserved regions and believes that targeted incentives and opportunities are crucial for attracting talent to the areas.
He noted that, while urban centres often attract a wealth of medical professionals, rural areas struggle to retain qualified staff, as this imbalance not only affects the quality of care but also exacerbates health inequalities among populations in rural areas.
Dr AWoonor highlighted that many healthcare workers are refusing to accept postings in rural areas due to concerns about inadequate facilities, lack of resources, and limited professional development opportunities.
He argues that by addressing these issues, the government can significantly improve the distribution of healthcare services across the country.
Additionally, Dr Awunoor stressed the importance of offering competitive incentives for healthcare workers.
The former director of health made the call when NKwanta District Old Staff Association honoured him for selfless dedication towards improving health care delivery.
Dr Awoonor, who accepted posting to the Nkwanta Clinic in 1990, at a time his colleagues had refused, transformed the Clinic into a fully-fledged hospital (Medical Village) which is now the Nkwanta South Municipal Hospital.
The 122-bed hospital is now the Centre for Primary Healthcare serving other region and neighboring country Togo.
The retired medical director arrival in the Nkwanta was the eradication of the Guinea worm pandemic and high maternal mortality which was prevalent in the area.
Through hard work together with his scanty staff were able to eradicate the Guinea worm plague and also started the Community Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds by establishing 16 of them in the various communities.
He advised the youth to be ready so that any where they are sent to since 60 per cent of the population are in the rural areas and someone must be there to serve them.
ALSO READ: