Work as a team - Akosa urges Health Professionals

Accra, July 20, GNA - Professor Agyeman-Badu Akosa, Director General of Ghana Health Service (GHS) on Wednesday called on Health Professionals to work together as a team for an effective healthcare delivery.

He said health professionals should stop lording their profession over their colleagues because one could not work without the other saying; "working as a team is the most effective way of delivering healthcare".

Prof. Akosa was speaking at the inauguration of the National Health Students Association Ghana (NAHSAG) in Accra. NAHSAG offers student Health Professionals in Ghana a comprehensive introduction to national health issues and provides them with opportunities to use their knowledge and other capabilities to the benefit of society. It also to creates and fine-tune the synergy of health students, the Ministry of Health, Ghana Health Service and non-governmental organizations and to inculcate the spirit of togetherness among future Health Professional.

Prof Akosa said the coming together of health students under one umbrella was a step in the right direction and called for mutual respect for each other's role so that together they could provide better health care to society.

With NAHSAG's binding force, he said, Ghana had started a good experiment and pledged the GHS's support to help to forge an effective link for a good healthcare delivery. Dr Kwame Ayew, President of NAHSAG, said some of the mediums to long-term programmes of the Association included promoting the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in the areas of reducing child mortality, improving maternal health, combating HIV/AIDS, Malaria and promoting public health education.

He said the establishment of NAHSAG, as a model of the hospital team, should be welcomed as a complementary step to acknowledge the GHS's drive to develop a huge human resource potential for the future workforce.

He expressed the hope that health students would develop the burning desire to die a little for mother Ghana by helping and being interested in keeping the people healthy. Solidarity messages from National Union of Ghana Students (NUGS), Chiefs of Health Professionals commended the students for coming together and wished them well in their endeavours.