Health Ministry, ACDC to help local companies manufacture vaccines — Akandoh

The Ministry of Health is collaborating with the Africa Centre for Disease Control (ACDC) and other partners to support pharmaceutical companies in manufacturing local vaccines.

That is aimed at advancing quality care and strengthening resilient health systems in the country.

The Health Minister, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, stated this in a speech read on his behalf at the annual performance review of the Cape Coast Teaching Hospital last Thursday.

It was on the theme: "Advancing care with a resilient system and effective stakeholders' engagement”.

Mr Akandoh said the ministry had outlined a comprehensive strategic plan to enhance Ghana's healthcare infrastructure, foster innovative public-private partnerships and focus on several key areas of healthcare delivery for a more resilient healthcare system.

These efforts, he said, reflected the government's dedication to advancing healthcare delivery through infrastructure development, technological integration, workforce resilience and sustainable financing.

Workforce

Mr Akandoh acknowledged that the healthcare workforce remained a fundamental pillar of delivering quality healthcare and emphasised their immense role in case management at all levels,  particularly in response to the recent cholera and meningitis outbreak.

"We need an experienced workforce capable of withstanding potential shocks that may threaten our health systems," he stated.

He indicated that the exodus of nurses and health professionals had become a trend globally, with Ghanaian nurses and other health professionals showing the desire to travel abroad.

The Minister, however, stressed that the ministry would also sustain efforts to retain an experienced workforce of nurses and other critical health professionals for the country's health system by improving working conditions and providing competitive incentives.

Non-communicable diseases

Mr Akandoh also expressed concern about the increasing cases of non-communicable diseases, including hypertension, diabetes and cancer, saying it accounted for approximately 45 per cent of all deaths in the country.

He said the government had prioritised funding for the management of these diseases through the Mamahacares Scheme.    

On health financing, Mr Akandoh said financing for healthcare was a critical component of providing high-quality care and sustaining resilient health systems and encouraged health managers to adopt innovative approaches to resource mobilisation and ensure the efficient use of available resources.  
 

CCTH needs

The Chief Executive Officer of the CCTH said the hospital was in the final stage of its five-year strategic plan (2020-2025), saying at the end of the fifth year, over 70 per cent of the activities on the plan would have either been implemented or partially implemented.  

Dr Ngyedu used the occasion to appeal for support to retool the hospital's dialysis unit, saying the machines were overaged and outmoded, with only five functioning.

"The situation is further compounded by persistent increases in the cost of consumables, causing the hospital to record under-recovery," he stated.

He said all attempts by management to secure vendors for equipment placement had been unsuccessful.

"Fortunately, dialysis services were included in the NHIS list in December 2024. However, the fee is not commensurate to the actual cost of providing the service," he added.

The CCTH CEO further appealed for the provision and installation of an MRI machine infrastructure, an intensive care unit to improve neonatal care, a trauma, accident and emergency centre and the completion of infrastructure facilities to begin at the hospital.

Also, he stressed the urgent need for collaborations with the private sector for the provision of 350 housing units for staff on a build-operate and transfer arrangement, saying the hospital could currently accommodate only 20 per cent of its staff, making it difficult to retain staff.

The Central Regional Minister, Ekow Payin Okyere, assured that the Central Regional Coordinating Council would support the hospital to achieve its goal of being a centre of excellence in health care delivery.