The Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has reiterated a warning to doctors who have refused to report to their stations in rural communities over conditions of service.

This follows the failure of several doctors to report to their respective stations after postings made in late 2025.

Following recent postings this month, the Minister, speaking in an interview on Citi TV on Wednesday, April 22, warned that doctors who fail to report to underserved districts risk forfeiting their placements as the government moves to address disparities in healthcare delivery.

“We are going to state that those who have not accepted the postings will be deprived of that opportunity, and we will open it up. Even if you completed yesterday and you are a fully qualified medical doctor willing to go, we will give you that opportunity,” he said.

He expressed concern over the persistent reluctance of some doctors to accept postings to deprived areas, noting that the trend continues to widen the gap in access to healthcare across the country.

Highlighting key concerns, he noted that about 50% of doctors are stationed in Accra, and when those in the Ashanti Region are included, rural areas are left significantly underserved, posing a major challenge to the sector.

He indicated that although only 12 doctors accepted postings to eight underserved regions in 2024, recent efforts have improved the situation, with about 100 doctors now taking up similar assignments.

“Since they have legitimate concerns, they cannot deny people care by refusing to go to the districts,” he said.

Mr Akandoh stressed that the government’s priority is to ensure equitable access to healthcare nationwide and that stricter measures would be implemented to enforce compliance.

In February 2026, the Minister rejected claims that newly deployed doctors were being punished through postings to rural districts, explaining that such deployments are necessary to ensure equitable access to healthcare.

“Since I took office as Minister responsible for the health sector, I have indicated that no health professional should see going to serve in rural areas as a punishment. For me, in my humble opinion, it’s a call to duty,” he said during a working visit to the Oti Region.

During the visit, he revealed that although 25 medical doctors were posted to the Oti Region in 2025, only two had reported for duty.

He further emphasised that the Ministry of Health would not change postings outside the approved process, stressing that doctors must serve where vacancies exist.

“We are not going to change anybody’s posting. If you have been posted to Oti, you will go to Oti. That is where the government has a vacancy, and that is where you will go,” he stated.

The Minister also raised concerns about health data from the region, noting that Oti remains one of the most deprived areas in terms of key health indicators.

During the visit, he inspected the proposed site for the construction of the Oti Regional Hospital and disclosed that the government had made budgetary provision for the construction of three new regional hospitals in 2026 — in the Oti, Savannah and Western North regions.

“In the 2026 budget, the government has made provision for the construction of three regional hospitals — Oti Region, Savannah Region and Western North Region,” he said.

According to the Minister, Oti is among the first regions where construction will commence, subject to the completion of all land documentation and the resolution of any litigation issues.

“The processes will start when we have full documentation on the land, devoid of litigation. If you bring your documents tomorrow, you will start your processes the next day. If you delay it, it’s your own issue,” he added.

Mr Akandoh also called on stakeholders to support efforts to address the challenges.

“A Member of Parliament, a Regional Minister, whoever you are, we must all put our heads together to find the solution,” he said.

In early November 2025, the Ministry of Health announced the nationwide allocation of doctors, with about 80% earmarked for district health facilities.

On November 5, the Minister revealed that the Ministry was processing about 700 junior medical doctors for posting.

According to the statutes of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), newly posted medical officers are expected to report to their assigned facilities within two weeks of receiving their posting letters.

However, a report dated November 28 showed that about 70% of newly posted doctors had yet to report to their new posts.

A total of 305 doctors, representing 66%, had still not reported — meaning roughly seven out of ten failed to take up their postings.

Data showed that urban facilities in Greater Accra, Kumasi and the Eastern Region recorded the highest turnout, accounting for over 60% of reported cases, to the neglect of rural centres.

Out of 20 doctors allocated to Greater Accra, 16 reported (80%), while in the Ashanti Region, 25 out of 33 reported (76%). In the Eastern Region, 23 out of 36 reported (64%).

In contrast, northern regions recorded very low turnout. The North East Region recorded zero turnout out of 19 allocations, while the Upper West Region also recorded none out of 32. The Oti Region saw only one out of 21 report (4.8%), Western North recorded two out of 31 (6.5%), and Savannah recorded seven out of 19 (36.8%).

Other low-performing regions included Upper East, with seven out of 35 (20%), and the Northern Region, with seven out of 32 (21.9%).

Following this, the GHS encouraged regions to intensify engagement with medical officers to improve reporting rates.

The low turnout in rural areas, particularly in northern Ghana, is a long-standing challenge, largely due to poor infrastructure, lack of accommodation and limited career opportunities.

Consequently, President John Dramani Mahama outlined reforms in his healthcare policy to make rural postings more attractive, including affordable accommodation, home ownership schemes and risk exposure insurance for health workers.

Ghana’s doctor–patient ratio stands at about 1:10,450, with most doctors concentrated in Accra, Kumasi and other urban centres, leaving rural populations underserved.

The postings also came amid concerns raised by the President of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), Dr Frank Serebour, who disclosed that about 800 doctors were unemployed and awaiting posting.

Speaking to Channel One TV in October 2025, he warned that delays in postings could push doctors to seek opportunities abroad.

“We still have about 800 doctors who are at home who need to be posted. If we don’t post them, people begin to look for other opportunities.

“If we are not careful, by the time we want to employ them, we won’t find them,” he said.