Government is meeting health sector labour demands - Ken Ofori-Atta

Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta, Minister of Finance on Monday said due to the deliberate government actions to improve the human resource base in the health sector, one nurse takes care of about 800 patients.

He said the country’s ratio was higher than that of the World Health Organisation that requires a nurse to attend to 1,000 patients.

Mr Ofori-Atta stated in the presentation of the Mid-Year Fiscal Policy Review of the 2019 Budget Statement and Economic Policy & Supplementary Estimates in Parliament in Accra.

As a result of various interventions, he said the government was able to produce enough nurses to meet domestic requirements and deploy some to support other countries.

The Finance Minister said plans were underway to formalise the migration of nurses to foreign countries beginning with Barbados, and the United Kingdom.

Regarding other measures to ensure healthcare Mr Ofori-Atta said the government in April commenced the delivery of medical supplies using drones service to CHPS compounds, health centres and hospitals in Eastern and Ashanti Regions.

He gave an assurance that the service would be extended to the Northern and Western Regions by the end of the year.

Mr Ofori-Atta recounted that the rehabilitation and upgrading of Tamale Teaching Hospital Project Phase II were completed and commissioned this year.

He said the construction and equipping of five polyclinics in the Greater Accra Region at Adentan Obojo, Ashaiman, Bortianor, Oduman and Sege were completed and commissioned and that a number of projects in the sector were also on-going.