Health Minister schools Ghanaians on types of hospitals

Kwaku Agyeman-Manu, the Minister of Health on Tuesday schooled Ghanaians on the types of hospitals operating in the country.

He said Ghana has about five different health service providers; within two big categories of public and private.

These include public hospitals under the Ghana Health Service, the Teaching Hospitals, faith-based hospitals, security forces hospitals and quasi-government hospitals.

Mr Agyeman-Manu made this known during question and answer time, when he took his turn at the Meet the Press Series, which was organized by the Ministry of Information to give an update on the COVID-19 pandemic in Ghana.

He explained that hospitals which have being established by private people were private hospitals; and that they had an association and the Health Ministry works with them as one health service provider.

He said quasi-government institutions such as the COCOBOB, the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority, Bank of Ghana and SSNIT have established their own hospitals as departments in the organizations; adding that their boards and managements take charge of them.

He said in such instances, such the institutions employ doctors and other staff of their hospitals.

He said those state institutions also build their hospitals’ facilities and hire their professionals into the service.

Mr Agyemang-Manu said the quasi-government hospitals provide health services for institution’s workers and their families and in some instances, for the public.

The Minister said the security agencies had their hospitals such as the Police Hospital and Military Hospital for some obvious reasons; adding that issues relating the Police Hospital must be addressed to the Minister of the Interior.

He said there were also the public hospitals, which were under the Ghana Health Service, which provides close to about 70 per cent of nation’s healthcare service.

The Minister noted that faith-based hospital groups comprises the Christian Health Association and the Islamic faith hospitals.

He said the Ghana Health Service and the Teaching Hospitals were under the supervision of the Health Minister.

“Now, the Minister for Health has oversight on the Teaching Hospitals and the Ghana Health Service, to the extent of the construction of their facilities and their employments, everything,” Mr Agyeman-manu said.

“But we play a complementary role with the Christian facilities and in some instances even the security ones and that of the quasi-institutions. If they need some technical advice from us, they will write to us and we go and assist them.”

Responding to a question on the on construction works at the La General Hospital, the Minister said, they expected the project to be completed in 24 months and cost was about 63 million euros; which includes the cost of demolition and bringing it up with the equipment to make it fit for purpose.