According to him, the last comprehensive retooling of health facilities took place in 2014, when hospitals and clinics were supplied with essential equipment, staff capacity, and other critical resources.

“As I speak to you now, the last time we did major retooling of our health facilities was in 2014,” he said on JoyNews’ The Pulse on Tuesday.

However, a decade on, most of the equipment has broken down, leaving the sector severely constrained.

“And I can tell you that about 70 to 80 percent of these equipment are obsolete. We can’t even get more than 10 to 20 percent in the system. Even before these ten years, there were others that, when they were bought, they couldn’t serve the facilities for more than two years,” he noted.

The Minister revealed that the government is considering two options to address the challenge: partnering with the private sector or implementing a state-sponsored intervention.

“We are looking at how we can go back to Public-Private Partnerships, how the private sector can also come and partner the health facilities. We are also looking at how government can secure some funds to buy strategic equipment.”

While admitting that the health sector faces numerous challenges, Dr. Akandoh expressed optimism that with the right strategies, the situation can be turned around.

“It has not been easy; the system is a critical one. There are a lot of challenges in the system, but I can assure you that we are fixing them,” he emphasised.

Source: Albert Kuzor

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The donation was formally received by Elizabeth Ofosu-Agyare, the Member of Parliament for Techiman North and Minister of Trade and Industry, during a brief ceremony held at the foundation’s office in Accra.

Lordina Mahama, president and founder of the Lordina Foundation, underscored the organization’s commitment to improving the quality of life for vulnerable populations.

“The Lordina Foundation is dedicated to uplifting deprived children and women in both rural and urban areas, with a focus on promoting quality healthcare, education, and overall well-being,” she stated.

“This donation embodies our belief in collaborative efforts to foster sustainable development within Ghana’s health sector.”

Elizabeth Ofosu-Agyare expressed her heartfelt gratitude for the generous donation, stating, “This contribution from the Lordina Foundation will play a pivotal role in bridging gaps in our healthcare system. It reflects our shared commitment to enhancing the well-being of our people.”

She added, “We are confident that these invaluable resources will significantly empower healthcare professionals in the Techiman constituency and surrounding communities, enabling them to deliver superior care to those in need.”

This donation is part of the Lordina Foundation’s broader initiative to modernize under-resourced health facilities in the region, ensuring that medical professionals are equipped with the necessary tools to provide high-quality, life-saving care to patients.

The donated items include hospital beds, delivery beds, incubators, theatre lights, phototherapy machines, baby scales, syringes, gloves, trolleys, wheelchairs, and commodes. Additional equipment includes baby cots, baby carts, medical screens, baby baths, bed cabinets, and overhead tables.

The Lordina Foundation’s commitment to improving healthcare delivery is a testament to its mission of fostering a healthier and more equitable society for all Ghanaians.

Over the years, the foundation has donated a substantial amount of essential medical equipment to numerous health facilities across Ghana.

Notably, the Lordina Foundation’s maternity and child ward projects in Bole, Nkoranza South, and Bodom, along with the recent rehabilitation and expansion of the Hohoe Adabraka health facility, stand out as significant health interventions led by Lordina Mahama and the foundation.

Source: AdomOnline

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He revealed that the hospital has been facing incidents where thieves cut and steal copper pipes supplying oxygen to patients in various wards, posing a serious threat to healthcare delivery.

Dr. Sekyere made these remarks during a media tour and inspection of ongoing construction works at the hospital on Monday.

“…People cut part of the copper pipes, so imagine a patient is on oxygen, and all of a sudden, it stops because somebody has gone to cut it,” he said.

He disclosed that hospital authorities recently apprehended individuals attempting to steal cables from the premises, adding that the case had been reported to the Korle Bu Police Station for further investigations and possible prosecution.

Dr. Sekyere expressed concern over the financial burden these thefts place on the hospital.

“The current replacement of stolen copper pipes is costing the institution approximately GH₵400,000, even though perpetrators might sell these materials for as little as GH₵50 as scrap,” he noted.

“It is ridiculously expensive trying to fix these copper pipes. Somebody takes a chunk of it for scrap, and we are paying through our noses just to have it fixed.”

To curb the menace, he said management had intensified surveillance and was in the advanced stages of procuring private security services to complement the institution’s internal security personnel.

The facility has also installed CCTV cameras, though Dr. Sekyere admitted that monitoring in real time remains a challenge.

“We have had to resort to CCTV, but these are not monitored in real time. So, if something happens, you probably may have an idea who did it, but the harm has already been caused,” he explained.

He urged the public, particularly scrap dealers, to be vigilant and report suspicious individuals attempting to sell hospital equipment, emphasizing the potentially devastating impact of such thefts on patient care.

Despite these challenges, Dr. Sekyere assured that Korle Bu has an oxygen plant with the capacity to serve patients.

“Oxygen, of course, may have its own challenges every now and then, but with the services and maintenance, we should be able to put to rest the issue of oxygen,” he said.

As part of the tour, the team visited the renovation site of the Maternity Block, Ward E, the Orthopaedic Ward (Ward H), the Oxygen Plant, and the KBTH perimeter wall, which is under construction to enhance security.

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Their appeal, according to the group, is based on data available to them which reveals about 98% of medical devices, disposables and equipment are imported.

These include Medical Consumables, Diagnostic Imaging Equipment, Dental Devices, Orthopaedic products, prosthetics and many more.

Speaking at a forum organised by the Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India (Pharmexcil), the Chief Executive Officer of FOAMEDDMS, Anthony Ameka said medical devices constitute the largest product area, accounting for over 60% of all importations within the health sector.

He indicated that globally, the medical device industry is poised for steady growth, with global annual sales forecast to rise by over 5 percent a year and reach nearly US$800 billion by 2030.

“Availability of forex is key to this sector because about 98% of medical device products are imported into the country. Therefore, the sector requires over $65 million in FX annually,” he said.

He stated the consumable market of the medical devices sector is expected to expand by 2025 CAGR of 12.3% in local currency terms, which should see an increase to GHS225.2mn and USD33.6mn by 2025.

“The diagnostic imaging market is also expected to expand by a 2020-2025 CAGR of 11.8% in local currency terms to GHS136.7mn by 2025. As the sector generates most of its revenues in Cedis, fluctuations in exchange rate affect cost of sales.

“Because of the key player’s exposure to volatility in the local currency to foreign currencies especially the dollar, the use of derivative hedging strategies and forward contracts are employed to minimize the effect of currency fluctuations.”

The CEO also used the opportunity to admonish Indian investors to boost investment in the medical consumables, equipment and devices industry.

He urged partnership with local counterparts as Ghana has a strong growth prospect, fueled by the expansion of health infrastructure citing the Agenda 111 initiative.

The India – Ghana webinar cum B2B session was organized under the auspices of the Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India (Pharmexcil) and Indian High Commission in Ghana.

Key stakeholders like the Indian High Commissioner to Ghana His Excellency Sugandh Rajaram, Director General of Pharmaceuticals Export Promotion Council of India (Pharmexcil) Ravi Udaya Bhaskar, the Director of Drug and Herbal Medicine Registration of the Ghana Food and Drugs Authority Dr Samuel Asante Boateng and a Deputy of Procurement and Supplies of the Ghana Health Service Paul Gawu.

The forum also availed the opportunity for pharmaceutical and Healthcare industry players from both Ghana and India to build bonds with the ultimate aim of partnership for local production as well as importation.

Some of the participants expressed their gratitude to the organizers for the opportunity and pledged their support to continually support the health sector and its core mandate of serving the people of Ghana.

The medical equipment, values at $40,000.00, that include 26 different items such as delivery beds, delivery instruments, stethoscopes, thermometers, examination beds and other essential medical accessories.

The beneficiaries facilities were Abrubruwa, Alokpatsa, Bzongo, DainKope, Pusupu, Bontibor, Brewaniase Health Center, Obanda and Salifu CHPS compounds including Nkwanta St.Joseph Catholic hospital and municipal hospital.

Presentation of the equipment to the CHPS compounds and Hospitals formed part of the Developing Acute Care and Emergency Referral System (ACERS) project which is being implemented in Nkwanta South and Gushegu Municipality and Nkwanta South Municipality by the Catholic Relief Services (CRS) an international non governmental organisation with funding from United States Agency International for Development (USAID).

Speaking at the short ceremony to handover the items, Head of Office for Tamale of CRS who represented the Country Representative of CRS and the chief of Party of the ACERS project to present the equipment to health authorities, Timothy Akanpabadai, said with these additional items, the expectations is to even improve the gains already made by the the ACERS project.

He noted that CRS as the organisation leadership for the ACERS project, unearthed the key gaps with regard to essential medical equipment and logistics as part of its ongoing research work.

According to him, the gaps were seen to stand in the way of achieving excellence in the project that worked to save the lives of women and children which an appeal was made to USAID and the response had been the procurement of the essential medical equipment.

Mr Akanpabadi who spoke about the some of the gains made under the project since its inception, appealed to health authorities to take care of the equipment to continue serve the intended purpose.

The Nkwanta South Municipal Coordinator Joseph Abugri on behalf of the assembly, thanked the CRS for the gesture, saying it complemented the efforts of the government to improve maternal and newborn care in the area.

He also advised health workers to have attitudinal change towards by maintaining the items received.

However, Dr. Osei Kuffour Afreh, the Oti Regional Director of Health, who represented during the event gave assurance to put the equipment to good use to help change the indicators for the better.