Health committee calls for selective clearance to address doctor shortage in Northern Ghana
The call follows a nationwide oversight tour by members of the committee, who reported critical staffing deficits across regional hospitals in the Upper East, Upper West, Northern and North East Regions
The parliamentary select committee on health is urging the government to grant selective financial clearances to enable the urgent recruitment of doctors for underserved areas, particularly in Northern Ghana.
The call follows a nationwide oversight tour by members of the committee, who reported critical staffing deficits across regional hospitals in the Upper East, Upper West, Northern and North East Regions.
The chairman of the committee and MP for Nabdam, Mark Kurt Nawaane, described the situation as alarming, especially at the Upper East Regional Hospital, where he said only one gynaecologist and one radiographer are available.
“In a regional hospital, you expect a range of specialists, but what we saw in Upper East was far from acceptable. The hospital is functioning more like a district facility,” Nawaane told Asaase News.
One size does not fit all
The committee deployed teams across the country to inspect the state of healthcare delivery in teaching and regional hospitals. Nawaane’s team focused on Northern Ghana, where challenges such as low staffing levels and inadequate infrastructure are widespread.
To address the shortfall, the committee is recommending a targeted financial clearance approach, rather than a blanket system.
“There are over 500 doctors awaiting posting. Why can’t the government select five or ten and give them clearance to work in overstretched facilities like the Baptist Hospital in Nalerigu, where only four doctors serve the entire population?” he asked.
“If we continue with the blanket approach, these gaps will persist.”
Nawaane clarified that the problem is not a shortage of trained doctors but rather the lack of incentive and support to retain them in remote areas. He cited poor working conditions, lack of equipment, limited career growth, and family constraints as key deterrents.
He also called on hospital managers to utilise their internally generated funds (IGF) more creatively – not just to maintain infrastructure but to introduce motivational schemes that can help retain existing staff.
“There’s a human resource management component that hospital leadership must own. If a single gynaecologist is overburdened, management should know how to support and retain him before the government steps in,” he said.
Nawaane stressed that while reforms from the Ghana Health Service and the Ministry of Health are essential, hospital leadership must take initiative locally. “We need to lead from the ground while waiting for national reforms,” he said.
The committee is expected to extend its oversight visits to district hospitals, health centres and CHPS compounds in the coming months to gain a fuller understanding of the challenges facing the health sector and to advocate for equity in health resource distribution.
Report by Mark Smith for Asaase News in the Upper East Region
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