The Director General of the Ghana Health Service Dr. Anthony Nsiah Asare has issued a stern warning to doctors and dentists who are on full time appointment by the government to desist from spending time of their official working hours to work in private hospitals which is commonly known as ‘locum’ in the medical fraternity.
According to him, the Ghana Health Service will no longer tolerate such behavior from the health practitioners.
“It is also quite worrying that some public sector doctors and dentists who are on full time appointment by the government has in recent times developed the penchant of spending part of their official working hours to work in private health facilities. Some of these medical and dental practitioners even go to the extent of referring patients to their private facilities. Such unethical conduct will not be countenanced by the service anymore," he said.
He however, urged medical practitioners who have the intention of working in the private sector to team up with other like-minded colleagues to establish medical facilities to help cater for the healthcare needs of people especially those in the rural areas.
“However, as a policy the service will rather encourage public-private collaboration in medical and dental practice in our quest to promote geographical access of healthcare at all levels of healthcare delivery. Hence, we will encourage doctors and dentists who are desirous to work in private practice to team up with other colleagues with similar desires to establish big fleshing and profitable private health facilities across the country especially in the unserved areas in our rural areas," he added.
Dr. Anthony Nsiah Asare was speaking at the graduation and oath swearing/ induction ceremony for the school of Medical sciences, Dental school and the school of Veterinary Medicine at the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Kumasi.
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