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Working among the rural communities in Ghana – why doctors choose to engage in rural practice

Working among the rural communities in Ghana – why doctors choose to engage in rural practice

  • August 1, 2018
  • Anthony Amalba, Francis A. Abantanga, Albert J. J. A. Scherpbier and W. N. K. A. van Mook
  • Article

An unequal distribution of health personnel contributes to disparities between urban and rural health outcomes, particularly in Ghana’s Northern Region. This study explored factors influencing doctors’ decisions to practice in rural areas through a cross-sectional survey of 40 doctors, with a 67.5% response rate. While many chose rural practice to gain clinical experience and professional independence, key barriers to retention included lack of social amenities, financial and material resources, limited career progression, and insufficient emphasis on rural practice in medical education. Participants highlighted the need for strong political commitment, a national policy on rural postings, and expanded Community-Based Education and Service (COBES) programs in medical schools to better prepare students for rural careers and improve retention.

  • Source: BMC Medical Education

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Charlie Labarda, MD, PhD, is a Professor of Medicine and Dean of the School of Health Sciences at the University of the Philippines Manila (UPM-SHS), where he has taught for more than a decade. He is a regular member of the National research Council of the Philippines, belonging to the Medical Sciences Division (Division III). Before joining the medical faculty at UPM-SHS he trained in at the Department of Family and Community Medicine at the Philippine General Hospital. He finished his PhD in the Department of Psychology at The University of Hong Kong, his Master in Development Management from the Asian Institute of Management (high honors), Doctor of Medicine (cum laude) at the Our Lady of Fatima University-College of Medicine, and his undergraduate Social Sciences studies (cum laude) at UP Tacloban College. He was a topnotcher in the Physician Licensure Examination (8th place).

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His career includes leadership roles as regional director for early childhood development and poverty alleviation in East Africa with the Aga Khan Development Network, founding associate dean of the School of Osteopathic Medicine at the University of the Incarnate Word in San Antonio, dean of the College of Health Sciences at the University of Texas at El Paso, and senior advisor to the provost at New Mexico State University.

 

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