Health Minister directs Teaching Hospitals to create separate accounts for maintenance, equipment management

The Minister of Health, Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has directed the newly inaugurated boards of teaching hospitals and key health institutions to create and maintain two distinct accounts for the effective management of their facilities.

He explained that one account should be dedicated solely to infrastructure upkeep – covering essential works such as painting, roofing, repairs, and minor facility restoration -while the other should focus on the maintenance and servicing of diagnostic and medical equipment.

Mr Akandoh gave the directive at the inauguration of newly constituted boards for the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons, the Food and Drugs Authority (FDA), and the Teaching Hospitals of Korle Bu, Komfo Anokye, Tamale, Cape Coast, Sunyani, and Ho, held in Accra on Friday.

He emphasised the need for financial discipline and operational efficiency in managing the country’s health institutions, stressing that maintenance was no longer an optional extra.

“We can no longer tolerate the wasteful practices of the past, where administrative overruns swallowed up most of our annual budgets, leaving our facilities starved of resources for maintenance, infrastructure development, and service improvement. That chapter must now be closed permanently,” he said.

The Minister called for a robust culture of preservation and proactive stewardship, noting that health leaders must reflect an unwavering commitment to building institutions that were resilient, responsive, and continuously improving.

“We can no longer fall back on the convenient narrative of blaming government when things deteriorate due to our own losses in vigilance and care,” he added.

Mr Akandoh tasked the boards to make their meetings strategic and purpose-driven, guided by clear agendas aimed at advancing the mandates of their institutions.

All board members would be required to sign performance contracts with clearly defined and ambitious key performance indicators (KPIs), which will serve as tools of accountability rather than mere formalities, he said.On regulatory oversight, the Minister charged the FDA board to strengthen its surveillance systems and tighten licensing protocols in response to the alarming rise in opioid abuse among the youth.

“You must redouble your vigilance, intensify enforcement, and collaborate with all stakeholders to intercept and eliminate illicit and dangerous substances,” he said.

He urged the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons to increase the number of medical specialists and consultants trained locally to meet the country’s growing healthcare needs.

Chairpersons of the various boards pledged their commitment to supporting the institutions to achieve improved health outcomes for the country.

Source: GNA

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