By Godfred Aaneamenga Polkuu, GNA
Bolgatanga, Sept. 10, GNA – Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, the Minister for Health, has commended staff of the Upper East Regional Hospital (UERH) for their dedication, resilience and sacrifices in the discharge of their duties.
He recognized their critical role in ensuring the delivery of quality healthcare to members of the public despite the huge workload confronting the facility.
The Minister urged staff to remain committed to their responsibilities and continue to give their best, stressing the importance of professionalism, compassion and sustained dedication in improving patient care and health outcomes.
Mr Akandoh gave the commendation during a meeting with management and doctors of the hospital as part of his working visit to the region to gain first-hand insight in the implementation of the Free Primary Health Care programme.
He told staff of the hospital that government was taking steps to ensure the equitable distribution of medical doctors and specialists across the country, particularly in underserved areas.
“As part of government effort to ensure equitable distribution of medical doctors and specialists, we have decided as government to decentralize the training of postgraduates. And so as government priority area, we will give it the attention it deserves,” he said.
The Minister explained that the government was addressing several challenges within the health sector simultaneously and would implement interventions according to their level of priority and available resources.
On the provision of medical equipment and logistics, Mr Akandoh assured the hospital that government would provide the necessary resources to enable health professionals to perform their duties effectively.
“We will do them. Whatever it takes, whatever equipment we think is appropriate for you to perform your responsibilities, we will make sure that you have them,” he said.
Mr Akandoh, who serves as the Member of Parliament for the Juaboso Constituency in the Western North Region, reiterated government’s commitment to addressing workforce gaps, particularly in regions classified as underserved.
“We have regions we have classified as under-served regions and we always want to serve those areas to ensure equity. So it has always been my position that we insist on where medical officers are posted to and not to keep changing people around,” he said.
He acknowledged that health professionals had legitimate concerns regarding their postings and working conditions but stressed that such challenges should not prevent government from ensuring that underserved communities had access to healthcare personnel.
According to him, there had been significant improvement in the data used to identify staffing gaps across the health sector, enabling government to undertake targeted recruitment.
He said the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service and the Ministry’s Human Resources Directorate worked together to identify gaps in the health system, after which the necessary recruitment was undertaken.
“I can only urge you to do what is expected of you and get us the feedback, what we should work on to also do our best,” he added.
Mr Akandoh expressed appreciation to health professionals who had accepted postings to the Upper East Region, acknowledging the difficulties associated with working in underserved parts of the country.
“We know it is not easy to accept to work in areas like this,” he said.
The Minister said he was fully aware of the workload confronting the Upper East Regional Hospital and the sacrifices being made by its staff to provide care to residents.
“I know Upper East Regional Hospital; you have a lot of loads. I am so much aware that the load here is quite enormous. And I know some of you are even sacrificing beyond what is expected of you,” he said.
He assured the staff that their efforts had not gone unnoticed, stressing that government would continue to support them with the logistics and resources required to provide quality healthcare.
“I know the sacrifices some of you are making to save the people in the area. So please continue to do your best. We at the policy and government levels, will also continue to ensure that you have the required logistics to be able to protect the people of this country,” Mr Akandoh said.
GNA
Edited by Caesar Abagali/Kenneth Odeng Adade
