Vice President Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang has reaffirmed government’s commitment to strengthening Ghana’s healthcare system, following a working visit to the Ministry of Health.
The Vice President, who was accompanied by her Chief of Staff, Hon. Alex Segbefia, and a team of advisors said her office stands ready to provide continuous support, guidance and collaboration to ensure the Ministry effectively delivers on its mandate.
During the engagement, the Health Minister highlighted significant progress achieved in the sector, including the addition of more than 7,000 health professionals to the payroll, the uncapping of the NHIS which has boosted funding, the digitalization of nursing trainee applications, the introduction of the “No Fees Stress Policy” for nursing students and improved management of disease outbreaks such as cholera and meningitis. He also cited the establishment of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund (MahamaCares) Secretariat as a major step forward in providing healthcare support for persons with terminal illnesses.
Despite these gains, the Minister pointed to persistent challenges such as unemployment among health professionals, limited specialist training opportunities, inadequate retooling of facilities and insufficient support for the pharmaceutical industry.
In response, Prof. Opoku-Agyemang outlined a number of interventions aimed at addressing the gaps. These include exploring opportunities for the export of Ghanaian health professionals while ensuring their welfare, training technicians to maintain hospital equipment for sustainability, scaling up specialist training programs and strengthening public health education and awareness campaigns in partnership with state agencies and the media.
The Vice President commended the Ministry for its achievements and assured both staff and patients of government’s determination to build a stronger and more responsive healthcare system. She further noted that, dialogue between her office and the Ministry will continue to ensure sustained reforms and improved service delivery.
Stoey: Nancy Obimpeh
