Health Minister warns doctors: Accept rural postings or be removed from payroll

The Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has cautioned newly qualified doctors that failure to accept postings to rural areas could result in their removal from the government payroll by the end of February 2026.He issued the warning during a working visit to the University of Ghana College of Health Sciences at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.

Addressing lecturers and medical trainers, the Minister urged them to encourage young doctors to accept assignments across the country, particularly in underserved communities facing critical staffing shortages.

“By the end of February, we will do validation. If you have not reported, we will take your name out of the payroll,” he warned.

Mr Akandoh acknowledged that some doctors may have genuine concerns about rural postings but stressed that medical education in Ghana is heavily subsidised by the state.

“I think we must put our heads together to find a solution to this problem. I agree that there are genuine concerns, but our education is highly subsidised, even for fee-paying students. So if the cocoa-producing farmers in my constituency, Sefwi Antobea, have been used to fund your education and you come and tell me that the place is a village, then I beg to differ,” he said.

He further announced that a nationwide validation exercise would be conducted at the end of February to ensure that only doctors who have reported to their assigned duty posts remain on the government payroll.

The Minister’s remarks come amid ongoing efforts by the Ministry of Health to bridge staffing gaps in rural and deprived areas, where access to healthcare services remains limited.

Source: 3news.com