7 Statistics from the Government of

Ghana (GOG) click here sources indicate that 31% of health professionals, including six hundred (600) doctors left the country between 1993 and 2002. These historical trends made the Ministry of Health (MOH) estimate that by 2006 Ghana would experience a short-fall of 1,800 doctors.8 Factors influencing migration have generally been grouped into ‘Push factors’ (i.e. factors that drive people away to the so called richer countries) and ‘Pull factors’ (i.e. factors that lure people to move to the developed countries). The push factors include: delay/lack of promotion prospects, poor management, heavy workload, lack of facilities, a declining health service, inadequate living conditions, high levels of violence and crime, poorly structured local postgraduate program and lack of incentives for hard work. The pull factors include: Better remuneration, Upgrading qualifications, gaining experience, a safer environment and family-related matters (family living abroad).9 Research has shown that Ghanaian health personnel intending to migrate will do so: to gain experience, to find better living conditions, to save money quickly to buy

a car and build a house, to upgrade professional skills and for better remuneration.10 One phenomenon that is gradually emerging in GPCR Compound Library supplier Ghana as a potential “Push factor” is the “FEE factor”. The cost of supporting a Ghanaian medical student

is very high. Prior to 1998, medical training had been free and entirely sponsored by the government. The government paid for tuition, boarding and lodging, transport and utilities as well as other costs of running the schools. A book and living expenses soft loan was provided by the Social Security and National insurance trust (SSNIT).8 From 1998, a cost-sharing program was instituted by the government of Ghana whereby not regular or non-fee-paying Ghanaian students (defined as those who met the competitive departmental requirements and cut-off points) paid living and other educational expenses except tuition and other educational funding, which were borne by government. Fee-paying Ghanaian students (defined as those who met the minimum university requirements for the course but did not make the competitive departmental requirements and cut-off points) paid full fees including tuition. Available figures from the 2008/2009 academic year showed that fees paid by tertiary Ghanaian students ranged from four hundred and ten Ghana Cedis (GH¢410) per year for non-fee-paying students to about one thousand, seven hundred Ghana Cedis (GH¢1,700) per year for fee-paying students. Foreign or private students who qualified, paid fees in full (up to GH¢3,300).11 The cost of higher education, especially medical education has increased over time.