Hospitals to remain with GHS - Deputy Minister

Accra, May 26, GNA - The Ministry of Health has no plans to hand over the Adidome Hospital to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Ghana. Dr Gladys Ashitey, Deputy Minister of Health, who was speaking in Parliament on Thursday, said the Adidome Hospital and some others were built by the Government and later handed over to the Evangelical Presbyterian Church "to manage as agency hospital". "However, the management of these hospitals including the Adidome Hospital were later taken over by the Government represented by the Ministry of Health in view of persistent management problems that could not be resolved amicably by the Church.

"These problems adversely affected smooth health care delivery to patients within the catchment areas of these hospitals." The Deputy Minister said these in answer to a question from Mr Joe Gidisu, NDC-Central Tongu, who had sought to find out what was still holding up the handing over of the Adidome District Hospital to the Church.

Dr Ashitey said when the Church requested for the handing over of the management of these hospitals to them, efforts were made to find out the views of the communities and staff of these hospitals. She said: "It was revealed that staff of these hospitals and the communities at large preferred that the hospitals be managed by the Ghana Health Service (GHS)." It has, therefore, been decided that the hospitals should continue to be under the management of the GHS, she said. The Deputy Minister said the Ministry and the GHS would not refuse any assistance from the Church in their quest to improve upon the country's health delivery services. She said at present, all staff at the hospitals were employees of the GHS and steps had been taken to upgrade facilities at these hospitals to befit their status as District Hospitals.