Doctors Avoid Rural Postings Due to Lifestyle Expectations and Social Pressures – Dr. Isaac Newman Arthur

A medical doctor and clinical psychologist, Dr. Isaac Newman Arthur, has shed light on why many newly qualified doctors decline postings to rural communities, citing lifestyle expectations, family pressures, and lack of exposure to rural living during medical training.

Speaking on WTV Ghana during a discussion on the posting of doctors, Dr. Arthur explained that many young doctors feel unprepared for the living conditions associated with remote areas.

“Most doctors are not used to certain lifestyles, and because many want to marry right after school, their expectations and aspirations are naturally high. These aspirations make them avoid rural postings and choose the cities instead,” he said.

He added that the socioeconomic background of many medical students contributes significantly to their reluctance.

“Most of them are now going to have kids. Even the backgrounds of those who enter medical schools are from middle-income and high-income families; they are used to a certain lifestyle,” he noted.

According to him, society also places doctors in a high social class, creating pressure and unrealistic expectations of comfort and prestige immediately after graduation.

“There is this social class that comes with being a doctor. We all think doctors should be having nice offices, cars waiting for them right after completion,” he stated.

Dr. Arthur emphasised that medical education, although comprehensive, often fails to prepare trainees for the realities of rural life.

“You may learn everything in school, but things like going to live in a mud house or an uncompleted building are not expected,” he said. “Anyone who finishes medical school has dreams, goals, and aspirations, these become the basis of their decisions.”

He revealed that during his own time in training, many colleagues refused rural postings altogether.

“So during my time, many people refused to go to the villages when transferred there,” he recalled.

Sharing his personal journey, Dr. Arthur said he opted for private practice soon after completing his training because he felt it aligned more with his aspirations.

“For me, what was in my mind after finishing medical school was going into private practice. So right after my rotations and service year, I went straight into private practice because, somewhere in me, I wanted to make a difference,” he explained.