Perceived constraints to privatization of delivery of veterinary services in Ghana

Ghana is on the verge of privatizing selected activities in the delivery of animal health services. However, various constraints are being encountered . The aim of this paper is to identify these constraints so as to help nd s olutions to them. Questionnaires were administered to veterinarians in Ghana to elicit their responses on various issues concerning privatization. A significant proport ion (61%) of government veterinarians, who formed 94% of the respondents, w ere unwilling to go into private practice. Among the reasons given were tha t private practice was too risky, that farmers were unwilling or unable to pay for services, that capital to start practices was lacking and that the societal value for animals was low. Also, low livestock densities in many a reas and the absence of commercial livestock farming were perceived as dete rrents to the sustainability of private practice. Furthermore, the poor mac roeconomic environment of high inflation, high interest rates and unstable currency discouraged investment. If privatization of veterinary services is to succeed in Ghana, these perce ptions have to be addressed and solutions found, since veterinarians are th e targets of the privatization process.