Minister for Information and Spokesperson for the Government Transition Team, Fatimatu Abubakar, has stated that Ghana’s health sector has seen significant improvements under President Akufo-Addo’s administration.
According to her, the government’s approach to improving the health sector has been holistic and comprehensive.
Speaking on JoyNews’ Newsfile on Saturday, January 4, she highlighted that since President Akufo-Addo assumed office in 2017, he has “commissioned at least 47 hospitals” outside the scope of the Agenda 111 project.
Fatimatu Abubakar further noted that in the last two months alone, the President had commissioned about 10 hospitals, in addition to others initiated by the government—all of which were separate from the Agenda 111 initiative.
She explained that during the COVID-19 pandemic, the government discovered that 87 districts lacked district hospitals and appropriate referral points.
“In the Upper East and Volta regions, for example, eight districts had no district hospitals,” she said.
She also pointed out that the newly created regions had no regional hospitals, while some existing hospitals, such as those in Koforidua in the Eastern Region and parts of the Western Region, were in poor condition.
Fatimatu Abubakar cited the introduction of the medical drone delivery system as another significant improvement, particularly for rural areas lacking access to medical supplies.
“I believe for those in the villages who would have died but for a shot of anti-venom, or a pint of blood, they would appreciate some of these interventions,” she stated.