Migration Intentions Of Health Professionals: The Case Of Final Year Medical Students, University Of Ghana

ABSTRACT

The continuous migration of health professionals, including medical students after school has negative effects on the health system in Ghana. The role of doctors is very paramount in health care delivery as it is reflective in the quality of services given. It is in this vein that a study was conducted to examine the migration intentions of final year medical students and the factors that influence their intentions. The research design that was adopted for the study was mixed method. The sample size was made up of 104 respondents selected through the purposive sampling technique. Instruments used for the study were semi-structured questionnaires and indepth interview guide. The quantitative data were analysed using SPSS and the qualitative through the use of thematic analysis. Students filled a questionnaire on their migration intentions and this was followed by an in-depth interview with five (5) students and two (2) lecturers based on their availability and willingness to be interviewed to understand the factors that influence medical student’s migration intentions. The study revealed that majority of the final year medical students had the intention to emigrate after completion of their studies. Three main reasons accounted for their desire to move out of Ghana, these are quality and variety of specialization training being offered, higher wages in destination countries and availability of good jobs abroad. With regards to return intentions, large portion responded yes but within the duration of about 5 years. Nevertheless, the decision to move out of the country could be hindering government policies in destination countries as well as better policies in the country to retain most of them. Some of the strategies put in place to improve retention of doctors include improvement of salaries and improved working conditions. Based on the findings of the study, it is recommended that retention is likely to be successful when salaries are improved coupled with stable economic conditions.