Surgical Training and Experience of Medical Officers in Ghanaʼs District Hospitals

Abstract

Even though formal general surgical residency training in Ghana is well developed, graduates of these programs are not working in the district hospitals surveyed. The majority of surgical services provided at the district hospital are provided by MOs, who would benefit from more comprehensive training and ongoing supervision. To help meet the challenge of a shortage of physicians working at district hospitals, the authors present alternative approaches to care described in the literature that involve nonphysician midlevel health providers.