Unposted Physician Assistants Protest Lack of Employment Opportunities

Physician assistants who graduated three years ago are demanding postings to various health institutions by the government.

In a bid to press home their demands, they have picketed at the Ministry of Health. According to the group, there have been delays in processes by the Ministry of Health to ensure that they are posted to health centres across the country.

On Tuesday, April 25, a group of unposted physician assistants picketed at the Ministry of Health premises to demand jobs. They argue that the delay in their posting is causing financial and emotional stress on them and their families.

Over the years, physician assistants who graduate from various health institutions have called on authorities to post them after school, but it seems their demands have always fallen on deaf ears. They have at times protested to further drum home their demands, but to no avail.

The jobless health professionals stage protests at the Ministry of Health to demand immediate employment. The protests, they say, become necessary because all previous attempts to get the government to post them to health facilities have proven futile.

The Public Relations Officer (PRO) for the Health Ministry, Isaac Offei Baah, after receiving the professionals’ petition indicated that the Ministry only recruits upon receiving financial clearance from the Ministry of Finance.

“The Ministry makes recruitment based on clearance that we receive from the Finance Ministry and so when we get the clearance, we will open the portal and then we will allow them to appeal.

We understand the frustration they [the physician assistants] are showing now and we pray that going forward, as we dialogue, we will be able to make things easier,” Mr Offei Baah said.

The demand for employment by the unposted physician assistants is not new in Ghana. It is a recurring problem that has been prevalent in the country’s health sector for years.

The government, through the Ministry of Health, has made several promises to address the issue, but nothing substantial has been done so far.

It is important for the government to take urgent steps to address the issue of unposted physician assistants to ensure that the country’s health sector does not suffer as a result.

The government must expedite the process of financial clearance to ensure that these professionals are posted to various health centres across the country.

In conclusion, the government must work to address the concerns of the physician assistants and ensure that they are employed as soon as possible.

The health sector is critical to the development of any country, and the government must ensure that it is adequately staffed to provide quality health care to its citizens.