Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh has warned that doctors who refuse postings to rural and underserved areas risk losing their placement opportunities, as the government intensifies efforts to address the uneven distribution of healthcare professionals across the country.
According to the Minister, newly posted doctors who decline to accept assignments in districts and remote communities will forfeit their slots, which will instead be offered to others willing to serve in those areas.
He stressed that the practice of rejecting rural postings undermines healthcare delivery and deprives many Ghanaians of access to essential medical services.
“If you are posted and you refuse to go, we will take it that you are not ready to work, and we will allow someone else,” Akandoh stated.
He noted that a significant concentration of doctors remains in urban centres, particularly in the Greater Accra Region and Ashanti Region, leaving several districts without adequate medical personnel.
He revealed that nearly half of the country’s doctors are based in Greater Accra, while about 70 percent are located within the Accra and Ashanti regions combined.
Expressing concern about the imbalance, the Minister insisted that healthcare professionals have a responsibility to serve all parts of the country.
“You cannot choose where you want to work at the expense of people in deprived areas. Those people also deserve healthcare,” he emphasised.
Akandoh further warned that refusal to accept postings would come with consequences, adding, “If you don’t go, you lose it. It’s as simple as that.”
He also underscored the ethical duty of doctors, stating, “We cannot allow a situation where some parts of the country have no doctors while others are overcrowded”.
The Minister’s comments form part of a broader government policy aimed at strengthening healthcare systems in deprived communities and ensuring that all regions benefit from qualified medical personnel.
He reiterated that accepting postings is a critical requirement for service and not a matter of personal preference.
This latest directive follows earlier caution from the Minister that doctors who refuse postings could also risk being removed from the government payroll, reinforcing the government’s firm stance on the issue.
