Bagbin Bares Teeth: We�ll Fire Or Demote Public Sector Doctors

The Minister of Health, Alban Bagbin, is gearing up for a showdown with doctors who refuse postings to the rural communities in Ghana, particularly in the three northern regions. He has served notice through Citi News that those recalcitrant doctors will have themselves to blame because he is considering implementing a policy to withdraw their license or face demotion outright. �We�re going to firm up a number of issues and definitely the sanctions could go to the extent of withdrawal of certification because we use our resources to educate them, certify them because we want them to serve our nation and if you refuse to go and serve in any part of the nation there is no reason why we should still endorse that you are a qualified doctor,� Hon. Bagbin pointed out. The minister noted that people in rural communities lacked quality health care services due to some doctors� refusal to accept postings to deprived communities. He said that is not fair to the tax payer, whose money was used to train the doctors. He said his outfit is also considering other plans that will actually nib the situation in the bud. �There are other proposals like demotion or remove the person completely from the public sector, but that will encourage people to move straight from school to private sector and earn money for themselves without serving the people,� Hon. Bagbin cautioned.