Health Service warns doctors against referrals to private practice

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has said it would not countenance any action or practices by medical doctors likely to impact negatively on quality healthcare delivery in the country.

Dr Anthony Nsiah-Asare, the Director-General, said that it was quite worrying that some public sector doctors and dentists, who are on full time appointment by the government, have in recent times developed the penchant for spending part of their official working hours to work in private health facilities.

“Some of these medical and dental practitioners even go to the extent of referring patients to their private facilities”, he said stressing that the GHS was taking the necessary steps to stem such unethical conduct.

Dr Nsiah-Asare, who was addressing an oath-swearing and induction ceremony for the School of Medical Sciences, Dental School and the School of Veterinary Medicine of the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), cautioned practitioners to uphold the code of conduct of the medical profession.

He said doctors and dentists who are keen to work in private practice could team up with colleagues with the similar desires to establish private health facilities in order to work as full time private practitioners in needy and deprived communities.

The ceremony was held under the joint supervision of the Ghana Medical and Dental Council and Veterinary Council of Ghana, and had a total of 241 newly-qualified doctors, including dental and veterinary surgeons, taking the Hippocratic Oath.

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