Despite being confronted by overwhelming evidence, having heard the pronouncements of the installed Health Minister, informed the conclusion that, he and in extension PPP, collectively exist in fool’s paradise. For the regime is cluelessly struggling with a never-before-seen healthcare crisis, where over 700 nurses resigned en masse from our tertiary hospital, GPHC. In fact, this resignation crisis isn’t limited to GPHC, as it is evident nationwide, not to mention other healthcare professions.
Nevertheless, despite facing this PPP-vacancies crisis, Dr. Frank Anthony, installed Health Minister, remains foolishly optimistic, as he attempts to pull wool over our eyes, in proclaiming that all the aforementioned vacancies will be magically filled.
But the reality eluding him is, it’s not just a question of filling this over 700-vacancy black hole, for regional hospitals, district hospitals and health centres are facing a similar crisis, with vacancies exceeding the thousands. However, disregarding these substantial vacancies, the installed government would want us to believe that our concerns are unfounded, since they are working collaboratively with PAHO, to divinely create health professionals from thin air.
But even as they aspire to divinely create these health professionals from thin air, we cannot help but have a jocular moment with Dr. Anthony’s assertion, that they have quantified how many health professionals are needed. In fact, in the very end-of-year press conference, he elaborated that the installed government is cognisant of how many specialists, how many registrars, how many GMOs, how many nurses, how many midwives, and how many laboratory personnel are needed.
However, having appraised Dr. Anthony’s assertion, the conclusion must be, his utterance is nothing short of a charade, aimed at fooling the masses into believing, they have a grand plan on how to holistically solve this PPP-vacancies crisis.
Now, having further scrutinised Dr. Anthony’s contention, we are compelled to remind him, and in extension the clueless PPP, that the challenge isn’t one of health professional training, rather the challenge is in most part, one of retention. As a result, this column would vehemently argue, supported by irrefutable evidence, that emphasis shouldn’t only be on training.
As a matter of fact, PPP should be utilising the PAHO expertise, in short supply in our 83000sq miles, to study with the view at better understanding why our healthcare professionals are leaving in the droves. However, even before such urgently needed PAHO appraisal, this column would proffer, the PPP caustic policies have created a toxic work environment for our dedicated healthcare professionals.
That said, unless PPP is planning to place our healthcare professionals in slave shackles and chains, they can rest assure, migration to greener pastures, whether private or overseas, will forever be an issue. And when this is viewed in this context, it takes at least 3yrs to train a Nurse, a medical technologist, a radiographer and 6yrs to train a doctor to the grade of a GMO, adds that perspective to the challenge being faced.
So, even as PPP venture on numerically expanding these training programmes, this must be tempered with the reality that these programmes will take time to come to fruition, not to mention that over 90% of those trained will emigrate because of PPP toxic policies in combination with poor remuneration.
Thus, this PPP policy of only increasing training numbers, even as they endeavour to recruit from overseas, will certainly come to nought unless they as an installed government, remedy their antagonistic policies towards our dedicated healthcare professionals.
However, such would be wishful thinking, since PPP antagonistic policies are ingrained in their DNA, meaning such a change would be realised when hell freezes over. And with PPP resistant to change, simply means our healthcare professionals will continue to leave en masse, even as we will forever endure the consequences of our loved ones dying in health institutions, short of health professionals.