The Director-General (D-G) of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Professor Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, has called for an end to the widespread practice of patients needing connections or ‘protocols’ to access medical care across public hospitals in the country.
He described the situation as unacceptable, stressing that every Ghanaian deserves equal access to healthcare, regardless of their social status or affiliation.
NTC Management after the meeting Photo: Lizzy Okai
“No Ghanaian should go to the hospital and need to know somebody before being treated. That should be a thing of the past,” Prof. Akoriyea added.
He made the remark yesterday during a courtesy call on the management of the New Times Corporation, publishers of The Ghanaian Times and Spectator newspapers in Accra.
The visit was to familiarise with operations of the media house while forging partnership with it, to achieve his vision for the GHS upon his assumption to the high office.
While assuring that the Service under his leadership, was committed to building a fair, equitable and accessible healthcare system, the D-G underscored the need for collective support to realise that goal.
He acknowledged the crucial role of the media in shaping positive health seeking behaviours, particularly among the youth, urging it to partner with the GHS to promote preventive health initiatives for a healthier population.
“As a Service we cannot do it alone but when the media says something, it goes far and people buy into it so we will need your help as the media to help us highlight some of the vision we have particularly on health promotion to save our youth,” he stressed.
Prof. Akoriyea expressed concern over the rising incidence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), especially hypertension and kidney failure, and the economic toll on patients and families thereof.
“Dialysis for instance is not a solution for kidney failure, it is a stopgap. Many die poor after being on dialysis so we need to move toward organ donation and transplantation—but this will require a national conversation, and we need the media’s help to start that dialogue,” he urged.
The D-G proposed the appointment of a media focal person to help coordinate health activities with the GHS and communicate vital health messages to the public.
“Together, we can craft solutions that are practical and sustainable. We are all potential patients. Let’s create a health system that works for all of us,” he urged.
The Managing Director of NTC, Mr Martin Adu-Owusu recognised the importance of health promotion to reducing Ghana’s disease burden, assuring of the Corporation’s support to the GHS in that direction.
“For me, this is a call for teamwork, don’t forget we are all working for Mother Ghana because at the end, if you succeed, Ghana succeeds so we are ready to collaborate with the GHS to ensure that health promotion becomes paramount in the everyday health system,” he assured.
For his part, the Acting Editor of The Ghanaian Times, Alhaji Salifu Abdul-Rahaman, expressed the paper’s commitment to upholding high ethical standards in journalism, prioritising objectivity and accuracy.
“We are committed to support efforts at attaining universal health coverage and we can assure you that you can find in us reliable partners in playing that role.
However, don’t forget that GHS is obliged to also manage our resources prudently to ensure the provision of quality healthcare and in that aspect we will also hold you accountable as duty-bearers so that together we can build a very strong and resilient health system for this country,” he stated.
The D-G was accompanied by the Acting Director of Health Promotion Division, Mrs Mabel Asafo and the Public Relations Officer of the GHS, Jacob Acquah Andoh.
Other management members of the NTC present at the meeting were the Editor of Spectator, Mrs Georgina Quaittoo; Adverts, Sales and Business Relations Supervisor, Mrs Edzodzi Can-Tamakloe; the Technical Services Manager, Mr John Lawson; the Acting Chief Accountant, Mr Eric Antwi, Acting Internal Auditor, Mr Ismaila Attau-Lah and the Human Resources and Administrative Manager, Mrs Agnes Nketia.
BY ABIGAIL ANNOH
