The Minister for Health has urged management of the Ministry of Health and its agencies to align all plans, programmes, and implementation strategies with Government’s priority commitments, emphasising coordinated action over mere planning.
The call was made during the ongoing sector-wide management retreat, which brings together leadership across the health sector to assess performance and chart a forward-looking path for 2026 and beyond. Addressing participants, the Minister stressed that effective delivery of Government policy requires institutions to respond directly to public needs, particularly by expanding access to healthcare services.
In line with the President’s 24-hour health service policy, he directed all public teaching hospitals to urgently begin operating Out-Patient Departments, laboratories, and diagnostic centres on a round-the-clock basis. The Minister highlighted that these measures are central to improving service delivery and ensuring that citizens receive timely medical care.
The retreat also focused on strengthening tertiary health training and service delivery across the regions. The Minister tasked the Health Facilities Regulatory Agency (HeFRA) and the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) to expedite accreditation of the Sunyani Regional Hospital as a teaching hospital. He noted that this initiative would enhance clinical training, decongest existing teaching hospitals, and improve access to specialised care for patients nationwide.
Government’s health sector priorities, he emphasised, outline critical reforms and targeted interventions aimed at improving coordination, access, and service quality. Aligning institutional objectives, budgets, and operational plans with these commitments is vital to meeting public expectations and accelerating sector-wide performance.
Concluding his address, the Minister encouraged participants to demonstrate renewed commitment, strengthen inter-agency collaboration, and uphold accountability, stressing that these actions are essential for advancing Government’s health agenda and delivering improved outcomes for Ghanaians.
The two-day retreat provides a strategic platform to review progress, address implementation gaps, and reposition the Ministry and its agencies toward clearly defined targets for the year and beyond.