The District Directors of Health Services (DDHS) Group has raised concerns over the absence of a structured mechanism for negotiating the conditions of service and salary adjustments of District Health Directors.
National Chairperson of the Group, Dr. Justice Thomas Savugu, said District Health Directors, despite their critical role in implementing government health policies, have not had a formal structure through which their conditions of service can be negotiated.
He said the same challenge affects the medical support attendance group and the regional directors group, which he described as technical executive groups responsible for translating health policies into practice.
Dr. Savugu made the remarks at the 33rd Annual General Conference of the District Directors of Health Service Group in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region.
He said the groups are not professional associations but technical and executive structures within the health system, yet they have been left without a mechanism for negotiating their welfare and remuneration.
“The group and our siblings, the medical support attendance group and the regional directors group, we are not professional associations. We are technical executive groups that help to translate policy to practice, and yet we are the only group that has no structure for negotiation of conditions of service, salary adjustments,” he said.
According to Dr. Savugu, there have been no substantive discussions on the conditions of service of the three groups since the Single Spine Salary Structure was introduced in 2010.
He therefore appealed to the Health Minister, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, to intervene and help establish a mechanism through which the concerns of the groups could be addressed.
“Since 2010, when the single-span was rolled out, there have not been any ballroom discussions concerning these three groups as to their conditions of service,” he said.
He used the analogy of an engine that needs oil to stress the importance of addressing the welfare of district health directors if they are to sustain their contribution to healthcare delivery.
Dr. Savugu said the Group had established its own welfare system to provide support to members facing various circumstances, including retirement, disasters, weddings and bereavement.
He disclosed that within one year, the Group had paid GH¢630,000 to 20 retired beneficiaries and GH¢150,000 to members who had suffered disasters.
The Group, he said, had also provided wedding support to members and paid about GH¢27,000 to bereaved members.
According to him, the total welfare expenditure exceeded half a million Ghana cedis within the year and was financed entirely through individual contributions from members rather than government or facility funds.
“We do this to support our Director General and the Minister so that the complaints can slow down to give way for them, for us to deliver more and more practically,” he said.
Dr. Savugu said addressing the welfare concerns of district health directors was important because their responsibilities place them at the frontline of healthcare policy implementation.
He expressed confidence that the Health Minister, who graced the conference, would give attention to the concerns raised and help find a lasting solution.
He said district health directors remained committed to their responsibilities despite the challenges surrounding their conditions of service.
The call comes as the government intensifies efforts to implement Free Primary Healthcare, a policy that places significant responsibility on district-level health managers to translate national health priorities into services for communities.
A1Radio|101.1Mhz|Joshua Asaah|Bolgatanga
