UPPER EAST ROLLS OUT PACKAGE FOR DOCTORS (PAGE 51, MAY 17, 2010)

A PACKAGE rolled out by the Upper East Regional Health Directorate to attract medical officers to the region has yielded results since seven newly trained doctors have accepted to do their housemanship in the region.
The package includes the provision of means of transport and fully furnished accommodation as well as feeding and in-service training.
The doctors, three females and four males who have reported for duty, will initially work at the regional hospital, but periodically visit district hospitals to offer services to the people.
For years, doctors posted to do their housemanship in the region have usually failed to report for duty because some of them perceived the region as “Siberia”.
The Regional Director of Health Services, Dr John Koku Awoonor-Williams, made this known at a reception organised by the Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Mark Owen Woyongo, at Bolgatanga to welcome the new doctors to the region.
Dr Awoonor-Williams explained that the arrival of seven newly qualified doctors to the Upper East Region would help address some of the challenges confronting health care in the region, especially with regard to human resource.
He expressed the hope that after their housemanship the new doctors would stay in the region.
He commended the Regional Co-ordinating Council for its support and appealed to the people of the region to co-operate with the doctors in the discharge of their duties.
He said as part of efforts to enhance healthcare service delivery in the region, the directorate was making efforts to expand the number of district hospitals from the present five to nine, adding that plans were underway to build a district hospital for the Garu-Tempane District, while efforts would be made to provide similar facilities for the Talensi-Nabdam and Kassena-Nankana West districts.
The Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo, expressed joy at the decision of the seven to work in the region and assured them that the Regional Co-ordinating Council would support them.