GMA laments alcohol misuse, drug abuse, sexual harassment among health workers

The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has expressed serious concerns over alcohol misuse, drug abuse, and incidents of sexual harassment within the medical community.

Addressing these issues at the GMA’s recent 66th Annual General Conference in Ho, the association’s President, Dr Frank Serebour, lamented the increasing instances of unprofessional conduct among health workers. He highlighted troubling behaviours such as chronic lateness, absenteeism, poor documentation, and a lack of commitment to professional duties.

He noted that some members “walk into the hospitals at 9 am, by 12 pm they are walking out. You ask them, they say they are done, and yet they expect to be paid for working eight hours at least in a day.”

The GMA President also pointed out that some health sector workers engage in “alcoholism, drug misuse and abuse,” emphasising that these habits affect both their personal lives and job performance.

Dr Serebour further revealed that, in some extreme cases, members of the association have been implicated in incidents of sexual harassment, with several cases under investigation by the Medical and Dental Council. Meanwhile, health facilities continue to face lawsuits related to these issues.

“Indeed, sometimes we are let off the hook simply because the victims of our own professionalism choose to blame the witches and wizards for their predicament, instead of taking on the system,” the GMA President remarked.

Addressing issues such as alcohol and drug abuse, unprofessional conduct, and sexual harassment among health workers is essential to restoring professionalism and public trust. With these challenges affecting patient care and the sector’s reputation, the GMA calls for stronger accountability measures and a renewed commitment to ethical standards to ensure that healthcare workers fulfil their responsibilities to the highest standards.

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