The Minister of Health, Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has expressed grave concerns over the deteriorating condition of key medical equipment and the general maintenance culture at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital.
During a working visit to the facility, popularly known as Ridge Hospital, the minister delivered in frank and pointed remarks to the hospital’s management and staff, signalling a new policy direction that could have nationwide implications for the administration of public health facilities.
“The CT scan has been down for some time now. I’m told about two years. The MRI has been down for some time now. I’m told about two years.
I also made a few observations about the worrying culture of maintenance at the hospital facility that I am not happy about, and so from here I will begin to take certain decisions and announce new policy directions in the management of our public hospitals.”
Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, Minister of Health
He lamented the impact such equipment failures have on the delivery of healthcare services, stressing that they not only compromise patient care but also undermine public trust in the health system.
Hon. Akandoh’s criticisms extended beyond Ridge Hospital, touching on a systemic problem he said was pervasive across many healthcare institutions in Ghana.
He questioned why hospitals, despite collecting fees for diagnostic and therapeutic services, often expect central government intervention when their equipment becomes obsolete or falls into disrepair.
“I have said it everywhere that I do not understand why hospitals, district hospitals, regional hospitals, and teaching hospitals cannot use their internally generated funds (IGF) for maintenance. Going forward, we will meet all the medical directors of these facilities, and that meeting will set a new policy direction.”
Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, Minister of Health
Calls for Policy Shift
The Minister stressed that this policy shift would require hospitals to prioritize maintenance using their own resources, rather than depending solely on government bailouts.
According to him, a situation where hospitals collect revenue but fail to allocate any portion toward the upkeep of essential machinery is unacceptable and unsustainable.
“I’m yet to understand why the government will equip a facility — I mean, hospital equipment or medical equipment — and hospitals will run this equipment, in most cases for a fee, and yet when their equipment is obsolete, they still want the government to come back and maintain or replace them.
“This is not about Ridge alone; it cuts across every part of this country, and this has to change.”
Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, Minister of Health
Minister Akandoh noted that the immediate plan would be to attempt to repair the non-functioning equipment at Ridge Hospital.
Should these efforts fail, he said, the Ministry would consider replacing the machines entirely. However, he stressed that moving forward, hospitals would have to demonstrate better stewardship of the resources provided to them.
“I must be very honest with you—very, very honest with you, this is not the Ridge Hospital we handed over in 2017″, the Minister stated candidly, expressing disappointment over the previous administration’s failure to maintain the facility.
With Ridge Hospital serving as a microcosm of broader challenges facing Ghana’s healthcare infrastructure, the Minister’s tough stance on maintenance and accountability could herald a significant shift in how public health facilities are managed across the country.
He promised that the Ministry would work closely with the management of the hospital to improve working conditions and enhance patient care.
He emphasized that the visit reflects the government’s commitment to strengthening Ghana’s healthcare infrastructure and responding to the evolving needs of its population.
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