A COMMENDABLE GESTURE (AUGST 8, 2009)

The government has provided 200 health workers throughout the country with Nissan Sunny cars under very flexible payment terms.
The vehicles are to motivate the health workers to offer their best and subsequently improve upon healthcare delivery in the country.
The presentation is not the first of its kind to health workers.
From 2005 to date, 1,500 vehicles have been distributed to health workers at affordable prices and according to the Health Minister, Dr George Sipa-Adjah Yankey, 600 vehicles will be distributed to health workers before the end of this year.
This move by the government signifies its recognition of the important role of health workers in ensuring the good health of the country’s human resources.
It further demonstrates the government’s commitment to addressing the specific problems facing health workers. Therefore, the move to assist health workers to own their means of transport is a good incentive.
However, the problems that hinder health workers from performing effectively transcend that of transportation.
Health systems have to run effectively. Health workers have for years tried to provide quality health care under trying conditions. Obsolete equipment, lack of adequate space, inadequate medical supplies, and over-worked staff due to shortage of health workers are a few of the challenges in the health sector.
In addition, health facilities now have to deal with shortage of funds due to delays by the National Health Insurance Scheme to reimburse funds spent on treatment of patients.
The Daily Graphic hopes that with such motivation from the government, these issues will soon become a thing of the past and health workers will have a new image in the country.
Systems that do not run effectively are a disincentive to workers as they become frustrated. Thus, in addition to motivating health workers by giving them vehicles, the government should ensure that health systems function more effectively to motivate health workers to deliver quality services.
The Daily Graphic believes that the move by the government to motivate the health workers is commendable. There may be many other problems to solve but “a journey of a thousand miles starts with the first step”.
It is now the turn of health workers to reciprocate by putting in their best to improve the quality of healthcare delivery.
We have several hurdles to clear in order to make our health facilities user friendly. These include unfriendly attitude of health workers towards patients, refusal to accept postings to rural areas and the many strikes that paralyse health institutions and cause avoidable deaths.
We again remind the government of its obligation to all workers who contribute to the total development of the country.
The approach to motivate workers should be holistic instead of piecemeal, so that all professionals in the public sector will receive attractive rewards for their sweat.
The Daily Graphic is aware of the dire straits of the national economy but with the prioritisation of our needs, the critical sectors will receive the necessary support to provide the stimulus for national development.