Renal Care: Ministry of Health to support police and military hospitals

The Ministry of Health (MoH) says it will support health facilities, including the Police and Military Hospitals to expand access to renal care.

Dr Bernard Okoe-Boye, Minister designate for Health, who announced this, said the Ministry was working hard so that tertiary facilities would no longer refer such cases to private facilities.

He said this during the handing over of four brand new ambulances to four health facilities in partnership with the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), on Tuesday.

The four beneficiaries are the Ghana Police Service Hospital, Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Ghana Armed Forces (GAF) Hospital and the Tamale Teaching Hospital (TTH).

In addition, TTH received a water tanker to resolve its water challenges, all estimated at USD1,565.040.65.

Dr Okoe-Boye said the equipment were part of Japanese Government’s support to Ghana’s primary health programme to strengthen Ghana’s health system.

He said Ghana had benefitted from the long and successful relationship with the Japanese Government through technical assistance, grants, aids and donation of
equipment as well as commodities.

Dr Okoe-Boye said also through JICA, various initiatives related to improving the health of Ghanaians continued to be implemented, citing Africa Health and well-being initiative, universal health coverage drive of Ghana, development and launch of the National Health Policy and Ghana’s COVID-19 response, among others.

“The Ministry is pursuing Universal Health Coverage (UHC) Agenda for which we have defined as – All people in Ghana having timely access to high quality health services, irrespective of ability to pay at the point of use with a goal of increased access to quality essential health care and public health services for all by 2030,” the Minister designate said.

He said the objectives under UHC were universal access to better and efficiently managed quality Primary Health Care Services, reduced unnecessary maternal,
adolescent and child deaths and disability as well as increased access to responsive clinical and public health emergency services.

The goal and objectives of attaining UHC called for deliberate investments into various aspects of the health system, he said.

Dr Okoe-Boye said the universal health care roadmap was to ensure that the populace had timely access to quality health services irrespective of their ability to pay at the point of use, giving key strategies as increasing the enrolment of the National Insurance Scheme and keeping members active and again making Community Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) fully functional throughout the country.

He said the handing over was a step in the right direction to support the objective of UHC for Ghanaians.

The Health Minister designate thanked the benefactor for the gesture and urged the beneficiaries to use the items for the intended purposes and ensure regular servicing.

Receiving the items, the beneficiaries were grateful and said the items had come at the right time and pledged to take good care of them.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCOP) Dr Samuel Otu-Nyarko said the Police needed more ambulances to cover the whole country.

Major General Raymond Ewusi, Deputy Chief of Staff (Medical), GAF, Mr Shani Alhassan Shaibu, Northern Regional Minister and DCOP Otu-Nyarko, took the items on behalf of their various institutions.