Doctors who decline rural postings face termination from the government payroll by the end of February 2026, according to a severe warning from Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh.
He made the call during a visit to the University of Ghana College of Health Sciences at Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, urging medical educators to encourage nationwide postings to address staff shortages.
Mr. Akandoh stressed that persistent staff shortages in rural health facilities pose a major challenge to healthcare delivery and must be addressed through collective responsibility.
“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 subsidized, even for fee-paying students,” he stated.
Emphasising the role of public funding in medical training, the Minister reminded doctors that their education is supported by taxpayers across the country, including rural communities.
“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 added.
He announced that a nationwide validation exercise would be conducted before the end of February 2026 to confirm doctors’ postings.
“By the end of February, we will do validation. If you have not reported, we will take your name out of the payroll,” the Minister warned.
The directive signals a tougher stance by the government as it seeks to ensure equitable distribution of healthcare professionals and improve access to medical services in rural and hard-to-reach areas.
