Rising alcohol and drug abuse among health workers threatening patient care – GMA

The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has raised concerns over increasing cases of alcohol misuse, drug abuse, and incidents of sexual misconduct among healthcare workers, warning that such behaviour severely compromises patient care and professionalism in the health sector.

Speaking at the GMA’s annual general meeting, GMA President Dr. Frank Serebour highlighted these troubling trends, noting that affected health professionals continue to interact with patients daily, despite behaviours that compromise their ability to provide safe, attentive care.

Dr. Serebour expressed frustration over what he called a decline in professionalism and growing complacency in healthcare.

“Is professionalism in the health sector dwindling, is there so much focus on greed and selfishness…at least all of us can attest to the escalation of lateness to duty, absenteeism, poor documentation and also not advocating enough time to our employers.

He also pointed out troubling patterns among some healthcare workers, who, he says, often fall short of completing a full day’s work. “People walk into the hospital at 9:00 a.m., and by 12 noon, they’re walking out, claiming they’re done and expecting to be paid for eight hours.”

The GMA president detailed the serious impact of substance abuse within the sector, highlighting cases of health workers misusing alcohol and drugs, which inevitably affects their quality of care.

“We have some health personnel who are involved in alcoholism, drug misuse and abuse which affect the quality of their life, there have been some extreme circumstances, and reported cases of sexual harassment, perpetrated by health workers.

“There have been several legal suits with outcomes sometimes not being favourable to us as health workers indeed sometimes we are left off the hook because the victims of our unprofessionalism choose to blame the witches and wizards instead of taking on the system.”

Dr. Serebour called for greater accountability and discipline within the health sector, emphasizing the need for a renewed commitment to patient care, ethical standards, and rigorous self-regulation among healthcare providers.