Resolve Funding Challenges With The Training Of Postgraduate Doctors – Akufo-Addo Directs Health Minister

President Akufo-Addo has directed the Minister for Health, Kwaku Agyeman Manu, to as a matter of priority, liaise with stakeholders in the healthcare sector to find a lasting solution to the funding challenges associated with the training of post-graduate doctors in the country.

He gave this directive in his address at the 20th Annual General and Scientific Meeting as well as the maiden awards night of the College of Physicians and Surgeons, held on Tuesday, 12 December 2023, at the office complex of the college.

“In Ghana, as pertains to many other countries like ours, we make use of the many general duty medical officers in the delivery of health services. It is about time we began to set our targets higher and ensure that every single doctor who graduates from medical school proceeds right after their house officer training into specialization so that the good people of Ghana can have the best possible level of medical services.

“This target which has been achieved by the developed world where our doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals migrate too, can also be achieved by Ghana. The Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons, The Ghana Medical and Dental Council, The Ghana Health Service, and the Ministry of Health must work together to ensure that we also achieve this target” President Akufo-Addo said in his address.

“I am aware that the training of postgraduate doctors is an expensive venture and the cost of this training needs to be borne by the state. It is for this reason that three years ago, my government announced that it would reimburse the College of Physicians and Surgeons, for the cost involved in the training of medical specialists.

“I know that there have been some challenges with the college receiving this reimbursement. Today, I reaffirm the government’s commitment to funding medical postgraduate training and direct the Minister for Health, to ensure that the related agencies and institutions resolve this funding challenge properly. He has assured me that it will so be done” Akufo-Addo added.

Agenda 111

Touching on the government’s flagship project, which seeks to build some one hundred and eleven (111) hospitals in over sixty (60) districts as well as some regional capitals in the country, which is popularly known as the (Agenda 111 project), President Akufo-Addo said he is confident of commissioning major

President Akufo-Addo observed that his government’s commitment to improving the country’s health care system is “evident in the “Agenda 111” initiative which is providing one hundred and one standard district hospitals with accommodation for nurses and doctors in districts without district hospitals”.

Furthermore, the president indicated that six new regional hospitals for each of the six new regions, rehabilitating the Effia Nkwanta hospital in the Western Region, building one new regional hospital for the Western Region and two psychiatric hospitals for two of the three zones of the country, that is, the middle and North, are also on-going and “the entire package” is “at an estimated cost of 1.765 billion United States dollars”.

“Thus far, construction of 86 district hospitals, two regional psychiatric hospitals, and the Western Regional hospital are ongoing and are at various levels of completion. The average completion rate of the 89 ongoing projects is 52%, with work at some of the sites being 70 to 80% complete” Akufo-Addo remarked.

“It is worthy to note that the construction of these hospitals is being undertaken by indigenous Ghanaian constructors who are providing direct and indirect jobs to Ghanaians,” President Akufo-Addo further remarked.

Legacy projects

President Akufo-Addo in his address noted that the government supports the clinical simulation centres legacy projects that the College of Physicians and Surgeons is embarking on. He assured the college that the government would do everything within its means to support the completion of the projects.

“The 20th-anniversary legacy project that the college is embarking on is the construction and equipment of two state-of-the-art clinical simulation centres for the training of medical specialists. I praise the Valco Trust Fund for its quick response to your appeal by deciding to support the construction of one simulation centre in Kumasi.

“Just as you had the full support of the government in accessing funds to build this grand administrative office 20 years ago when an NPP government led by the second president of the Fourth Republic, the outstanding statesman, his excellency, John Agyekum Kufuor was in office, I assure you that you have government support again under the Akufo-Addo led NPP government in these efforts to build the simulation centres” President Akufo-Addo said.