This bold financial commitment underscores Ghana’s push to improve access to quality healthcare across the country, especially in underserved areas.

Speaking at the commissioning of the CHAG-SafeCare Hub in Accra, Emma Ofori Agyemang, the Director of Policy, Planning, Monitoring, and Evaluation (PPME) at the Ministry of Health, praised CHAG’s role in the healthcare system.

She acknowledged the association’s tireless efforts in maintaining high standards of healthcare delivery and bridging gaps in remote and hard-to-reach areas.

“CHAG has become a beacon of hope in our healthcare system. The government is proud to support this vision and ensure that no Ghanaian is left behind in accessing quality healthcare,” she said.

Madam Ofori Agyemang commended CHAG for undergoing a comprehensive quality assurance assessment across all its facilities, with 39 of them achieving the prestigious SafeCare Level 4 certification.

“It is actually refreshing to know that all CHAG facilities in Ghana have gone through the quality assurance assessment. I think that is very impressive and 39 of them are at Level 4. It’s very commendable,” she remarked.

SafeCare, an internationally recognised quality improvement framework, has been instrumental in raising healthcare standards in CHAG facilities.

The newly launched CHAG-SafeCare Hub, developed in collaboration with PharmAccess, aims to further enhance these efforts by serving as a centre for quality improvement, training, and research.

The hub will empower healthcare providers with the tools to deliver safer and higher-quality services.

“This new hub will further enhance CHAG’s capacity to deliver safe and quality healthcare services,” Mrs Ofori Agyemang stated, acknowledging the invaluable role of PharmAccess in supporting CHAG’s quality journey.

Despite these achievements, the PPME Director admitted there are still gaps in the quality of healthcare delivery across the country.

She emphasised the importance of a dedicated workforce, adherence to safety and quality protocols, and continuous supervision to maintain high standards.

“There are huge gaps in quality standards. These challenges require a dedicated workforce committed to patient satisfaction and constant improvement.

“I commend CHAG’s tireless workforce for their service in remote and hard-to-reach areas, and I urge you to protect the brand you’ve built – your brand is quality,” she urged.

The government’s financial support for CHAG reflects its recognition of the CHAG’s pivotal role in healthcare delivery.

In 2024, the Ministry of Health allocated GH¢1 billion toward CHAG compensation, and this will more than double in 2025.

“This year, we invested about GH¢1 billion towards CHAG compensation. Going forward in 2025, we have projected to invest GH¢2.2 billion in CHAG’s human resource, and out of this amount, I’m proud to say that over GH¢110 million is proposed for the recruitment of new staff,” Mrs Ofori Agyemang revealed.

She also praised CHAG’s leadership, including the Catholic Bishops’ Conference and the Ghana Pentecostal Council, for their steadfast commitment to making CHAG a reliable healthcare provider.

The commissioning of the CHAG-SafeCare Hub marks a milestone in CHAG’s journey toward universal health coverage.

By equipping healthcare providers with resources and ensuring accountability, CHAG and its partners are paving the way for safer, more effective healthcare services for millions of Ghanaians.

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This finding emerged from routine surveillance conducted by the Polio Laboratory at the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research.

According to a press release issued on Tuesday, September 17, Health Minister, Dr. Bernard Okoe-Boye confirmed that the sample, taken on August 20, was identified as cVDPV2 on September 5.

Dr. Okoe-Boye has described this discovery a “public health emergency” and emphasized the urgency of taking immediate action to prevent the virus from spreading further.

In response, the Ministry of Health, working with the Ghana Health Service, has initiated field investigations to trace the virus’s source and assess the risk of it spreading geographically, including to human populations. Enhanced surveillance measures have also been implemented for closer monitoring.

The public is advised to adopt precautionary measures such as improved handwashing, proper sanitation, and the safe disposal of faeces.

Additionally, parents are urged to ensure their children complete their vaccination schedules to strengthen immunity against the virus.

Read the press release below:

Source: Adomonline

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According to him, the move is a tactic by the government to influence voters ahead of the December general elections.

The Ministry of Health announced on July 26 that it would be recruiting 15,200 nurses and midwives, with the process set to begin on August 5, 2024. This announcement follows the Ministry of Finance’s issuance of financial clearance.

But in an interview on Adom FM’s morning show, Dwaso Nsem, Tuesday, Mr Akandoh accused the government of strategically timing the recruitment to coincide with the election period.

He believes it is an attempt to sway the votes of health sector graduates.

“This government promised employment in the 2016 elections, particularly in the health sector. They did not carry out any significant recruitment until the election year in 2020, and now they are doing the same. They wait until it’s close to elections before they start recruiting. This is not helping the nation,” he stated.

Mr Akandoh indicated that, such actions undermine good governance and called for politicians to be held accountable for using public sector recruitment as an electoral strategy.

He emphasized the need for consistent employment practices and genuine care for the welfare of the youth, rather than what he described as a “ponzi scheme” approach to governance.

“Regardless of the party, politicians need to be punished for this kind of attitude. If they are voted out when they only work in an election year, they would be more diligent and work within the years. I think it’s a bad practice, it is not good governance and we must stop it,” he added.

Play attached audio below:

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The service urged pregnant women to attend antenatal clinics and deliver in hospitals.

Dr. Kwame Amponsah-Achiano, Programme Manager for the Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI), highlighted Ghana’s significant burden of hepatitis B and C infections.

Despite this, he noted that awareness of the disease remains low, emphasizing the need for increased awareness and preventive measures.

As of 2022, approximately 2.8 million people in Ghana are living with hepatitis B.

However, Dr. Amponsah-Achiano noted that the introduction of vaccines for children under one-year-old has helped reduce new infections.

He revealed that the Ministry of Health, GHS, and partners are working on introducing a birth dose of the hepatitis B vaccine to further reduce disease prevalence.

This initiative is crucial as hepatitis B prevalence is particularly high among pregnant women.

Dr. Amponsah-Achiano urged pregnant women to deliver in hospitals to ensure their children benefit from the new birth dose.

He described this as a significant step forward in combating hepatitis B, as the birth dose could greatly reduce new infections and save lives.

Dr. Amponsah-Achiano also stressed the importance of getting tested to know one’s status, as this is crucial in the fight against hepatitis B.

He highlighted that vaccination is an effective preventive measure and that those who test positive should seek medical treatment to manage the disease.

He believes that collective support for this initiative can make hepatitis B a thing of the past.

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Source: Abrefi Agyemang

In a statement released on Thursday, March 7, 2024, the MoH said the recruitment process will kick off on Monday, March 11, 2024.

It has been explicitly clarified by the Ministry that no charges will be imposed for recruitment or placement. As such, applicants are strongly advised against making any payments throughout the procedure.

The deadline for submitting applications is set for Friday, March 15, 2024.

Applicants are strongly encouraged to use only the MoH’s online application portal for submission and to promptly report any instances of fee requests to the Chief Director.

Below is the full statement

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According to her, since its establishment in 2017, The Rebecca Foundation of which she is Executive Director has partnered the Ministry of Health and the GHS to complement government’s enormous investment in the health sector in building and constructing new health facilities and rehabilitating existing facilities, especially in deprived communities.

She said The Rebecca Foundation appreciated quality health being central to the well-being of a nation and has channeled a lot of effort in supporting government in the health sector by donating health equipment and constructing health facilities to support government.

The First Lady made these comments when she presented hospital consumables and also PPEs including nose masks, hand sanitisers, soap, gowns, gloves, baby diapers, washing powder and others to the Saltpond Hospital.

Mrs Akufo-Addo said The Rebecca Foundation has donated hospital equipment and supplies to all 16 regions, including a phototherapy machine to the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital and carried out health outreaches and surgeries all over the country.

The Foundation, she said, has also distributed ambulances and renovated and equipped health facilities, including a CHPS compound at Seduase, the Abbam Krom Health Centre and the Osu Government Maternity Home.

“Two of our biggest projects have been an ultra-modern Paediatric Intensive Care Unit, at the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital and a Maternity, Neo-natal Intensive care and Paediatric Intensive care units, at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital,” the Executive Director of The Rebecca Foundation said.

The First Lady also expressed gladness at her husband, H.E. President Akufo-Addo’s cutting of sod in May this year to reactivate the construction of the Maternity and Children’s Block project of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital which had been abandoned for 44 years.

She explained that while The Rebecca Foundation – constructed Maternity and Paediatric Intensive care unit at KATH is to provide an interim solution to the huge challenges the hospital faces in maternal and child care, the 750-bed facility, which when completed will serve as a referral centre for 12 out of Ghana’s 160 regions, will significantly increase government’s capacity to cater for the health needs of women and children in the country.

Mrs Akufo-Addo pledged The Rebecca Foundation’s commitment to continue to execute initiatives that will enhance the welfare of women and children, health-wise, intellectually and economically.

The First Lady also commended the government on how proactive and incisive it has been in combatting the COVID-19 pandemic which has led to the rate of infection slowing down and recoveries going up, cautioning, however, the importance in adopting all the safety precautions, to stop the spread, in the hope of soon getting back to our normal lives.

President Nana Akufo-Addo in a national address called for the closure of schools up to the university level with final year students expected to stay as they prepare for their Basic Education Certificate Examination and West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination.

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To that effect, the MoH has directed all students should vacate the various schools latest by Wednesday, March 18, 2020 as part of measures to prevent spread of the disease.

Read the statement below:

The move, according to the ministry, forms part of Ghana’s efforts to prevent and control any case that may be detected.

The Ministry, in a statement on Monday, said “it has triggered the country’s emergency preparedness and response plan amidst the rising number of infections from the novel Coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in other countries of the world.

“Ridge Hospital and Tema General Hospital have been designated as initial case management centres.

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 “Regional Directors have been instructed to designate holding and treatment centres in their respective regions. We are preparing to designate more centres in the highly populated areas of Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi and Tamale.”

It assured Management Activated- teams to manage cases at the designated national centres are receiving orientation on the management of cases.

Meanwhile, the Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research has indicated that it has the capacity to diagnose coronavirus infection and has since been designated as the laboratory for investigating the virus.

The Ministry pledged it is closely collaborating with the World Health Organisation, Veterinary Services Department, Noguchi Memorial Institute of Medical Research and the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention among others to execute the country’s emergency response plan.

A statement released on Monday and signed by President of the group, Solomon Yeboah, said: “We the members of the above named league, this day (22/5/2017), activate our picketing at the MoH premises, as suspended from Monday, 8 May 2017.”

“This has become necessary following the ‘neglect’ of the promise made by the Hon. Deputy Minister (Mrs Tina Mensah) to provide us with evidence of our financial clearance with date of immediate postings on Monday, 15 May 2017.

“We state without any equivocation that we are not leaving the MoH and shall continue to the Flagstaff House premises when necessary until we see an evidence-based [and] satisfactory … financial clearance,” the group said.

Members of the group embarked on a protest and decided to picket at the Ministry of Health (MoH) to register their displeasure at the Ministry’s inability to employ them on Monday 8 May.

The allied health professionals numbering 495 said their action had become necessary since all efforts to get the attention of the ministry to address their plight had proved futile.

This follows the financial clearance given some 4,800 clinical nurses to begin work in the various health facilities across the country following a similar picketing.

The allied health professionals who were left out of the recent employment said in a statement: “As citizens and not spectators, we can only fight for our share in the employment of health professionals after realising we were not part of the just-released financial clearance for over 4,800 clinicians with whom we completed and/or served with in the same year frame.

“We are aware the government is in a hurry. We, therefore, don’t want our issue to be an oversight, hence we are employing the now efficacious way – picketing – to register our displeasure and demand our right.”

But Ms Mensah, who addressed the media, asked for a week to have the issues addressed.

Meanwhile, the President of the Coalition, Solomon Yeboah, has said the health professionals hope the Deputy Minister “will keep her promise” as they will not hesitate to return to the ministry with intensified protests to press home their demands.

According to the Coalition, comprising of Health Professionals from the College of Health in Kintampo and the the School of Dispensing Optics in Oyoko,this has become necessary because several calls made to government to get them posted have yielded no results.

As “citizens and not spectators”, we can only “fight” for our share in the employment of health professionals after realizing we were not part of the just released financial clearance for over 4,800 clinicians (only) of whom we completed, and/or served with in the same year frame.

“We are aware the government is in a hurry. We therefore don’t want our issue to be an oversight, hence we employing “the now efficacious way” – PICKETING, to register our displeasure and “demand” our right, a statement released by the group said.

The action by the Allied Health Professionals comes weeks after a similar one by the Coalition of Unposted Bonded Diploma Nurses.

Meanwhile government has granted financial clearance to 4832 nurses and midwives into the health Sector