Strengthening country’s health system …Veep assures support

Vice President, Professor Naa­na Jane Opoku-Agyemang, yesterday paid a working visit to the Ministry of Health to assure the Ministry of her office’s commitment to supporting its work in strengthen­ing the country’s health system.

She was accompanied by her Chief of Staff, Mr Alex Segbefia, and some advisors.

The Vice President said her office was ready to provide advice, guidance and collaboration to help the Ministry deliver on its mandate of ensuring quality healthcare for Ghanaians.

She praised the Ministry for the progress it has made in several areas, noting that such interventions were critical for building a resilient and effective health sector.

She also called for the training of technicians in hospitals to handle equipment maintenance and minor repairs, which would ensure that crit­ical facilities remained functional and sustainable.

She further encouraged the scaling up of specialist training programmes to meet the growing demands of the population, stressing that without spe­cialists, the system could come under severe strain.

The Vice President also emphasised the importance of public education, urging closer collaboration between the Ministry, other state agencies, and the media to improve awareness and service delivery.

She commended the Ministry for its ongoing interventions and assured staff that government remained com­mitted to improving conditions for both health workers and patients.

According to her, healthcare is central to national development, and the welfare of citizens depends on the strength of the sector.

She stressed that her office would continue to engage with the Ministry to ensure that reforms are effectively implemented.

The Vice President added that con­tinuous dialogue between her office and the Ministry was necessary to address challenges as they emerge and to ensure that progress made in the sector was sustained.

She expressed confidence that with the right policies, strong partnerships, and commitment from all stakehold­ers, Ghana could build a health system that responds better to the needs of its people.

The Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, used the meeting to outline some of the gains achieved under his leadership.

These, he said, included the recruit­ment of over 7,000 health profession­als onto the payroll, the removal of the cap on the National Health In­surance Scheme, which has increased funding for health services, and the introduction of a digital platform that has simplified the nursing trainee application process.

He also pointed to the implemen­tation of the “No Fees Stress Policy,” which has brought significant relief to nursing students by reducing their fees, as well as improved control of diseases such as cholera and menin­gitis.

Another major milestone high­lighted was the launch of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, also known as MahamaCares, with the establishment of its secretariat to support the deliv­ery of healthcare.

While acknowledging these suc­cesses, the Minister said there were still major challenges that required urgent attention, including growing unemployment among trained health professionals, limited specialist train­ing programmes in the country.

According to him, there was the need for retooling and equipping health facilities, and inadequate sup­port for the pharmaceutical industry.

 BY AGNES OPOKU SARPONG

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