The Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has disclosed that four Agenda 111 hospital projects in the Upper East Region have been selected for completion as part of the government’s efforts to address healthcare needs in underserved communities.
The projects are the Agenda 111 hospitals in Garu, Tempane, Bolgatanga East and Builsa South, which are among 35 projects nationwide the government has prioritised for completion.
Speaking on an interview in Bolgatanga on Thursday, September 10, Akandoh said the Upper East Region had benefited significantly from the government’s healthcare interventions, particularly because of its focus on addressing healthcare challenges in underserved communities.
“Garu, Tempane, Bolga East and Bulsa South. These are the Agenda 111 facilities that are part of the first 35,” he said.
The Minister also said the government’s recent recruitment of nurses would support the implementation of the Free Primary Healthcare Initiative, particularly in underserved areas.
He disclosed that the government was recruiting 16,000 nurses, with processes for the recruitment of the first 8,000 already completed.
“We’re employing 16,000 nurses and we have finished the processes for recruiting 8,000, and we have skewed the recruitment towards primary healthcare,” he said.
Akandoh explained that the government intended to deploy a significant number of the newly recruited health professionals to underserved communities.
“So we’re pushing a lot of these nurses to the underserved areas. Every implementing district will get a minimum of 20 new health professionals,” he added.
He said the Free Primary Healthcare Initiative was introduced to strengthen preventive healthcare and bring essential healthcare services closer to the doorsteps of Ghanaians.
The Minister urged stakeholders and the public to support the initiative to ensure its successful implementation and improve access to quality healthcare across the country.
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