(Book E2) The Job Hunt College: The Health Sector; the state before, the state now

‘Career development book for health professionals’

The health sector used to be one of the most lucrative areas to pursue a career. It used to provide ready market for its pursuers with remarkable remuneration. Fresh students usually overwhelmed with gaining admission into the sector used to walk pompously in town showcasing their uniforms and lab-coats everywhere.

In fact, just by gaining admission into the health sector was a seal of a brighter future. You are assured of a job after school with a remarkable salary and even a monthly allowance whiles in school.

Today, it’s no more! Monthly allowances are not always assured, there is no job assured after school and the huge pay attached to the profession has already started dwindling. The health sector that used to be regarded as the sector with assured job opportunities is no more!

Very few decades ago, this was not the case. All Health professionals, regardless of the fact that you attended a Ministry of Health institution or not, were absorbed into the various government’s clinical, educational and research health facilities in the country. This has changed in our time; and may even extend to the graduates from Ministry of Health institutions in the future.

Ghana as a country now produces large number of health professionals annually which the government is unable to absorb all. This does not in any way suggests that the country already has enough health professionals.

However, with the influx of numerous private health facilities in the country of which at times offer better working conditions and remuneration than government facilities, there is some hope for the unemployed health professional.

Nonetheless, this comes at a cost and an extra burden. It calls for the need of the health professional (especially straight-entry graduates from universities and private colleges) to maneuver their way into the heart of the private employer. In order to achieve this, they need to understand the principles, the rules and regulations that work in the Job Hunt College; not in general terms but the specifics that work in the health field.