John Awuah, CEO of the Ghana Association of Banks, has revealed that nearly 70% of medical doctors default on their loans.
According to John Awuah, many doctors take personal loans from banks and subsequently leave the country without fulfilling their repayment obligations.
He emphasised that the situation is often driven by doctors who migrate abroad for work after securing loans in Ghana.
Speaking on the October 9, 2025 edition of PM Business Edition on JoyNews, John Awuah stated, “Let me tell you, we have heard of doctors. These are on the moral pecking order. When you see a medical doctor, you almost 100% assume that they are not fallible. They don’t make mistakes, and things like borrowing and payment will come to them naturally.
Do you know what doctors are doing to the banking system? Particularly those who are offshoring their services, like migrating to other jurisdictions to work, they have bank accounts, they use their bank statements, you know, personal loans, the bank will not ask you what you are going to buy. They will come to a bank, take like 120,000 cedis or 150,000 cedis, take a visa and jump off and leave the loan hanging”.
He further added, “Wherever they are going, they are working there and earning, and one would think that as medical practitioners, they will just say, ‘I have a liability in Ghana, which enabled me to demonstrate that I can fund my travel, so let me come and settle.’ About 70% of them are not paying, these are medical doctors, people we hold in high esteem”.
Some Ghanaians have reacted to the CEO of the Ghana Association of Banks’ remarks, saying, “Is he a banker or a pastor! What moral esteem is he talking about? You should let the youth with a good business plan have access to these loans! If indeed it’s 70% default, then change your loan policies!”
Another Ghanaian added, “Really? 70% of medical doctors who are regular income earners default on their loans. Don’t they assign their salaries to the banks as a condition precedent? If no, then there are gaps in the credit risk assessment. This is soo strange”.
“Our moral fabric as a people in general is weak. We need to push a strong ethics awareness from the bottom up”, an X user added.
A netizen noted, “Key lesson: Never assume some professions are more honest than others. Good and bad people exist everywhere — judge by actions, not titles. Stay objective”.
However, the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has expressed strong displeasure over comments made by John Awuah.
Reacting to the remarks in a statement, the Vice President of the GMA, Professor Yorke, said the association was shocked and disappointed by the CEO’s public statements.
Professor Yorke described John Awuah’s over 70% doctor loan default claim as inaccurate and damaging to the reputation of medical professionals.
“Are you not surprised at this very figure — that 70% of doctors who borrow money don’t pay?” Professor Yorke questioned.
He added that the claim was “curious and very likely inaccurate.”
Professor Ernest Yorke clarified, “Almost on a quarterly basis, banks and other financial institutions approach the GMA with tailor-made financial products and solutions. If we were not creditworthy, I am not sure the banks would continue. Something is really amiss”.
The Ghana Medical Association has since called for an immediate public apology and retraction from the GAB CEO.
According to the GMA, John Awuah’s remarks have unfairly impugned the integrity and moral standing of Ghanaian doctors.
“We were hoping that if they had concerns, they would have first written to or approached the GMA, rather than subjecting doctors to public ridicule,” Prof. Yorke said.
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