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Thursday, March 28, 2024

Incorporate innovative technologies into health systems – Director General

By
Bajin D. Pobia, GNA

Wa, Dec. 3, GNA – Dr
Patrick Aboagye, Acting Director-General of the Ghana Health Service has
appealed to accounting and finance personnel to incorporate innovative
technologies into the health systems to help them work more efficiently and
effectively.

He said as
accounting personnel, they should hold themselves in readiness for digitisation
of the health system to help promote the provision of greater access to health
service for the people.

“Digitisation will
help make health systems responsive and sustainable. Not only that, according
to the World Health Organisation (WHO), digital systems call for modified roles
of healthcare professional and you are not an exception”, he said.

Dr Aboagye made the
appeal in a speech read on his behalf by Madam Ramatu Ude Umaata, Director of
Finance at the 12th Annual General Congress of the Accounting Staff
Association of Ghana held in Wa.

The Congress was on
the theme: “The Health Accounting Staff in the era of digitisation towards
universal healthcare delivery” and it served as a forum to discuss relevant
issues affecting the interest and welfare of the Finance and Internal Audit
fraternity in the health sector.

He said through the
Finance Division, significant efforts were made, and resulted in major
improvements of work at all levels in the service, especially the automation of
financial processes of the Regional Health Administrations, Hospitals and
District Health Administrations.

He said that also
helped to reduce human errors, capture data comprehensively and improve on
reporting timelines.

Dr Aboagye, said
inspite of that, there were instances of misconduct by some personnel, which
affected the image of the Ghana Health Service and the division, and the
accounting profession negatively.

He said the Service
would not tolerate or make any effort to come to the aid of anybody who
misconducted himself or herself, but on the other hand, would make sure that it
defended any finance staff who was treated unfairly.

He said the Service
would continue to make and implement policies that would provide the enabling
environment for all staff to give out their best, and the finance division
would be a major beneficiary of such policies.

Dr Aboagye announced
that the Service had successfully established a Deputy Director of Finance
position at the regional level and regional accountants would become Deputy
Directors of Finance.

He said the required
processes were ongoing to ensure that the 16 vacant positions currently available
were filled, pointing out that the development should create a “career hope”
for all the finance staff in the service.

He gave the
assurance that the Service would work with leadership to address disparities in
salary levels, promotion and upgrading of personnel in the finance division of
the service.

Mr Sidik Mohammed
Nuri Laskaya, National President of the Health Accounting Staff Association of
Ghana said there was a wide gap between the remuneration of members under the
single spine salary structure and their counterparts in other public sector
organisations such as the Controller and Accountant General Department, Ghana
Revenue Authority and Audit Service among others.

He appealed to the
relevant authorities to take a look at the problem and address it while steps
were taken to promote members who acquired additional qualifications.

“There are a group
of members, who were classified as casual workers some of whom had worked for
15 years and when it comes to recruitment of personnel they are left out.

“This phenomenon is
very bad and they are still hoping and hoping against hope that one day the
authorities will at least give them the opportunity for permanent employment”
he said.

He said the Bank of
Africa and National Investment Bank had been identified and discussions were
ongoing to secure loan facilities for members at a moderate interest rate.

The Association was
also in the process of acquiring 16 plots of land for the construction of a
hostel to help generate additional income.

GNA

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