File photo: Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital
Health facilities operating in the country must now register with the Health Facilities Regulatory Agency (HEFRA) or risk closure for non-compliance, following implementation of the Health Institutions and Facilities Act 829.
The Act, passed in 2011, seeks to regulate both the public and private health sectors. Facilities to be licenced and regulated by HEFRA include: medical and dental clinics and hospitals; eye-care clinics; convalescent and nursing homes; geriatric homes; occupational therapy clinics; and physiotherapy clinics.
The rest are: dental technology laboratories; clinical and biomedical laboratories; diagnostic imaging technology clinics; pharmacies and chemical shops; osteopathy clinics; prosthesis and orthotics clinics, and any other health care clinic or premises that may be determined by the Minister of Health under the Act.
Dr. Felix Anyah-Chairman, Health Facilities Regulatory Agency Board, speaking at an inception business dinner for HEFRA said: “The function of the HEFRA Board includes: determining the basic and minimum equipment and personnel required for the type of service(s) to be provided in a practice; regulating and monitoring activities in a practice to determine the adequacy and standard of health care provided; and collaborating with any other person or authority to maintain professional standards in practice”.
Section 59 (2) of the new Act 829, enabled all documents, registers and related operations under the old law to be subsumed by the new HEFRA Law effective 2011.
According to Section 11 (1 and 2) of the Act, “a person shall not operate a facility unless the facility is licenced under this Act. A person shall not operate equipment in a facility specified in the First Schedule unless the facility in which the person operates is licenced under the Act”.
Fisheries and Aqua Culture Development Minister Sherry Ayittey -- under whose tenure as the Health Minister the licencing of health facilities was initiated said: “Speaking as a consumer, we expect to have quality service when we visit health facilities. This agency is the heart-beat of quality health services, to ensure our health facilities keep and maintain a certain standard for value for money so that when patients go there, whatever money they pay, they get a service equivalent to the monies charged and also get the best medical services.
“I am looking at it from the consumer point of view who will be visiting health service facilities. The Ghanaian expects the HEFRA to ensure that good maintenance, good management practice, good sanitation and best medical service prevail in hospitals and clinics in the country. It is for both public and private hospitals.
“HEFRA will supervise and inspect public and private hospitals. Before you set up a hospital, it must come to inspect and certify. If you are going to set up a hospital or clinic or special hospital, there are certain facilities that you must have before the facility is certified. There are also punitive measures in the law,” she added.
As per the new law, the penalty for breaching it can be severe as a term of imprisonment for not more than ten years, temporary or permanent closure of the facility, or a fine of not more a thousand penalty units.
Dr. Docia Saka, who played a key role in getting the regulations in place, received a plaque and a citation recognising her efforts.
