A concerned Physician Assistant, Robert Abotiyire A-Ansimm, is calling on the government to urgently deploy thousands of unemployed Physician Assistants (PAs) to rural and underserved communities amid growing concerns over medical doctors’ refusal to accept postings outside major cities.
In a strongly worded press release, Mr. A-Ansimm described the situation as a “healthcare crisis in plain sight,” noting that although government recently posted 700 newly qualified medical doctors to rural districts, only a few have reported. He said many doctors continue to shun rural assignments due to poor infrastructure, limited resources, and unattractive working conditions.
Citing the Minister of Health, he noted that nearly half of Ghana’s doctors are concentrated in Accra, leaving vast rural communities without adequate healthcare coverage.
Meanwhile, he said, the country has 3,896 licensed and job-ready Physician Assistants who remain unemployed, despite being specifically trained to fill the healthcare gaps in rural Ghana since their introduction in the 1960s.
“Why is Ghana leaving its most readily available health workforce on the bench when the match is already in extra time?” he questioned.
Mr. A-Ansimm stressed that PAs—trained in medical, dental, and anesthesia specialties—play a critical role in Ghana’s primary healthcare system. In many rural areas, they act as the main clinicians, handling over 200 patients daily, stabilizing emergencies, conducting minor surgeries, leading health facilities, and managing essential public health programs.
He noted that despite their enormous contribution, no financial clearance has been issued for PA recruitment since 2019, a situation he described as a “misallocation of human resources” and a threat to public health.
He warned that the absence of clinicians in remote communities is contributing to rising maternal deaths, uncontrolled infections, delayed emergency care, and weaker disease surveillance.
“Posting clinicians to rural communities is not merely a staffing decision; it is a public health survival strategy,” he said.
Mr. A-Ansimm outlined several reasons why immediate PA deployment is crucial. Key among them is the availability of nearly 4,000 trained PAs who require no additional preparation, as well as their proven effectiveness and willingness to serve in rural Ghana.
He emphasized that PAs offer cost-effective, high-impact services that help sustain sub-district health facilities, many of which depend almost entirely on their leadership.
He is urging government to issue immediate financial clearance for PA recruitment, integrate them strategically into the rural healthcare system, improve working conditions in deprived areas, and strengthen the PA career progression structure.
“The health of rural Ghana should never depend on who is willing to show up,” he said. “Failing to post nearly 4,000 competent PAs while rural citizens face preventable deaths is not only inefficient—it is unjust.”
Source: A1 Radio | 101.1Mhz | Joshua Asaah | Bolgatanga
