President of Ghana Physician Assistants Association, Emmanuel Yaw Appiah is worried about inadequate Physician Assistants at the various health centres nationwide.

He says the situation is likely to negatively affect primary healthcare delivery.

He was speaking at the 19th Annual General Meeting of the Ghana Physician Assistants Association in Kumasi.

This year's general meeting is themed “Strengthening and maximising the sub district level for effective, efficient and equitable healthcare service delivery: the role of the stakeholder”. 

The meeting seeks to facilitate awareness of a universal health coverage agenda. 

It will deliberate on how stakeholders of the Ghana Health Service would strengthen the primary health care system to benefit rural dwellers. 

Mr. Appiah said the situation at the health centres will improve with the posting of qualified Physician Assistants there.

“Not much has been done through policy formulation and implementation to capacitate and resource Physician Assistants at the sub district level.

“Whereas many health centres exist without Physician Assistants, there are, however, a huge number of qualified Physician Assistants that are yet to be posted. Delay in getting clearance for Physician Assistants is causing them to be unemployed.

“The majority who lack access to basic and quality health care are the rural folks. The sub-district level is the most neglected in Ghana's health system, despite the level sharing almost 70 to 80 per cent of health data that is required for decision-making and policy formulation,” he said. 

Mr. Appiah again highlighted the need to “review the obsolete job descriptions of physicians to reflect current training and practice. There has been an expansion of the membership network and improved data-base.” 

The Association had threatened to exit the ambit of the Medical and Dental Council following complaints of unfavourable policies.

The Physician Assistants demanded a new regulatory body to replace the Medical and Dental Council.

The general meeting will also see to the election of new national executives for the union.

Ashanti Regional Chairman of the Ghana Medical Association, Dr. Paa Kwesi Baidoo called on Ghana Physician Assistants Association members to remain calm.

He assured the agitated members of the efforts to table all union concerns through a collective negotiations channel. 

Dr. Baidoo explained that the unions in the health service have agreed on the limit to which demands negotiation agreements would be accepted. 

“During the recent cost of living allowance negotiations, all the unions came together, we agreed that moving forward, we were not going to negotiate individually. We agreed on the limit to which we will accept. We realised that if there is bickering, the winners are our employers. They come together when it comes to their interest.

“In the health sector, we have agreed that we have done ourselves a great disservice by being used against each other. The current administration of the Ghana Medical Association is operating an open-door policy. We see each of us as partners, no superior nor inferior,” he explained