Vice President Professor Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, accompanied by her Chief of Staff, Hon. Alex Segbefia, and other advisors, paid a working visit to the Ministry of Health on Wednesday, August 27, 2025.
The delegation was warmly received by the Minister for Health, Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, and heads of key agencies.
In a statement on her official Facebook page, the Vice President said the visit was intended to offer her office’s support and collaboration to improve the health sector’s effectiveness.
During the meeting, the Health Minister highlighted several significant achievements.
These included adding over 7,000 health professionals to the payroll and uncapping the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), which has boosted funding. He also mentioned the introduction of a digital platform to streamline the nursing trainee application process and the “No Fees Stress Policy,” which has reduced fees for nursing students.
The Ministry also reported improved control over disease outbreaks like cholera and meningitis and the rollout of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund (MahamaCares).
The Minister also outlined several challenges, including unemployment among health professionals, a limited number of specialist training programs, the need to retool health facilities, and inadequate support for the pharmaceutical industry.
In response, Professor Opoku-Agyemang proposed several interventions. She suggested leveraging opportunities to export health professionals while ensuring their welfare is protected.
She also recommended training qualified technicians within hospitals for equipment maintenance and repairs to ensure sustainability and scaling up specialist training programs to meet the sector’s growing demands.
The Vice President stressed the importance of strengthening public education campaigns in partnership with other state agencies and the media to improve service delivery.
Below is the full statement
Today, I paid a working visit to the Ministry of Health, accompanied by my Chief of Staff, Hon. Alex Segbefia, and some of my advisors. We were warmly received by the Minister for Health, Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, together with the heads of key agencies under the Ministry.
The visit was to extend my office’s support to the Ministry in fulfilling its critical mandate. I assured the Minister and his team of our willingness to provide advice, guidance, and collaboration to enhance the effective functioning of the health sector.
The Hon. Minister outlined significant progress made by the Ministry, including:
• Addition of over 7,000 health professionals to the payroll.
• Uncapping of the NHIS, resulting in increased funding for the sector.
• Introduction of a digital platform to simplify the nursing trainee application process.
• Implementation of the “No Fees Stress Policy,” which has significantly reduced fees for nursing students.
• Improved control of outbreaks such as cholera and meningitis.
• Rollout of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund (MahamaCares) through the establishment of its Secretariat.
Despite these gains, key challenges remain, including:
• Unemployment among health professionals.
• Limited specialist training programs.
• Need for retooling health facilities.
• Inadequate support for the pharmaceutical industry.
In response, I proposed several interventions such as:
• Leverage opportunities in exporting health professionals, while ensuring their welfare is safeguarded.
• Train qualified technicians in hospitals to handle equipment maintenance and minor repairs, ensuring sustainability.
• Scale up training for specialists to meet the growing demands of the health sector.
• Continue strengthening public education and awareness campaigns, in partnership with other state agencies and the media, to improve service delivery.
I commended the Ministry for its ongoing interventions and reaffirmed Government’s commitment to improving conditions for both staff and patients. Dialogues will continue so we address the challenges raised and ensure effective reforms for a stronger and more responsive healthcare system.
By: Rainbowrasioonline.com/Ghana
