Health Minister, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has disclosed that about 70 to 80 percent of equipment in the country’s health facilities are no longer functioning, posing a serious threat to healthcare delivery nationwide.
According to him, the last comprehensive retooling of health facilities took place in 2014, when hospitals and clinics were supplied with essential equipment, staff capacity, and other critical resources.
“As I speak to you now, the last time we did major retooling of our health facilities was in 2014,” he said on JoyNews’ The Pulse on Tuesday.
However, a decade on, most of the equipment has broken down, leaving the sector severely constrained.
“And I can tell you that about 70 to 80 percent of these equipment are obsolete. We can’t even get more than 10 to 20 percent in the system. Even before these ten years, there were others that, when they were bought, they couldn’t serve the facilities for more than two years,” he noted.
The Minister revealed that the government is considering two options to address the challenge: partnering with the private sector or implementing a state-sponsored intervention.
“We are looking at how we can go back to Public-Private Partnerships, how the private sector can also come and partner the health facilities. We are also looking at how government can secure some funds to buy strategic equipment.”
While admitting that the health sector faces numerous challenges, Dr. Akandoh expressed optimism that with the right strategies, the situation can be turned around.
“It has not been easy; the system is a critical one. There are a lot of challenges in the system, but I can assure you that we are fixing them,” he emphasised.
Source: Albert Kuzor
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