The Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has stated that all health professionals on duty must wear visible name tags, describing proper identification as essential for enhancing patient safety and accountability across the health sector.
The directive comes in the wake of the February 17 baby theft incident at Mamprobi Polyclinic, which the Minister called “unacceptable and preventable.” He assured the public that concrete measures are being implemented to prevent similar occurrences.
Mr Akandoh emphasised strict adherence to Ghana Health Service protocols, including the immediate reinforcement of baby-and-parent tagging systems in health facilities. He also called for stronger collaboration with security agencies to improve safety within hospitals and clinics.
During a working tour, the Minister visited Mamprobi Polyclinic, the College of Health Sciences, the Nursing and Midwifery Training College, and Korle Bu Teaching Hospital to assess infrastructure, service delivery, and workforce preparedness.
At Korle Bu, he met with the mother of the recovered baby to express solidarity and reaffirm the Ministry’s commitment to justice and strengthened safety measures.
Mr Akandoh also welcomed calls by the area’s Member of Parliament, Alfred Oko Vanderpuije, for the expansion of labour, postnatal, and recovery wards. He stressed that infrastructure upgrades and reinforced security protocols are central to ongoing health sector reforms.
Beyond infrastructure, the Minister highlighted the importance of human resource development. He outlined plans to deploy newly trained health professionals promptly to facilities facing critical staffing gaps and revealed that selected nursing institutions will be upgraded into post-basic speciality schools to address shortages in specialised care.
The Minister reaffirmed the government’s commitment to improving standards, safeguarding patients, and restoring public confidence in Ghana’s healthcare delivery system.
