The Ministry of Health (MoH) has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with two Italian organisations to collaborate to improve healthcare delivery in the country.

The two organisations are Gruppo San Donato and Universita Vita-Salute San Raffaele.

The signatory entities have agreed to jointly develop a model health centre of excellence in the country to improve on healthcare delivery and outcomes.

The parties have also committed to support and encourage cooperation in distant medical consultations for international patients.

The MoU is expected to provide a legal framework within which the parties may conduct their relationship and set out modalities of cooperation for improved health care.

It was signed on the side-lines of the second European Corporate Council on Africa and Middle East (ECAM) in Italy, which started on October 31 this year.

The 2021 Conference was dubbed: “New Ways to Care”.

Ghana’s team at the conference was led by the Minister of Health, Mr Kwaku Agyeman-Manu.

Partnership

Ahead of signing for the country, Mr Agyeman-Manu said while the MoU did not create any contractual relationship between the parties, it set the grounds for the parties to work together in the true spirit of partnership.

“Both parties will also explore annual visits, and will support Ghana with training opportunities for its health professionals, as well as explore scientific research and academic exchange by both parties,” he said.

He gave the assurance that all telemedicine cooperation projects entered into under the MoU would comply strictly with national legislations with medical specialties and scope of activities determined by both parties.

The minister, making a presentation on “The Role of Ghana as a Strategic Regional Healthcare hub in West Africa”, said Ghana had identified medical tourism as a key agenda to move the country’s health system forward.

He said the country had put in place some measures as it readied to lead in medical service delivery in West Africa with advance infrastructure, medical service value chain, education and research.

Delivering UHC

Mr Agyeman-Manu said the country was also working on the “Ghana beyond Aid” agenda to help in the delivery of universal health coverage (UHC).

He said Ghana would also focus on medical services, where it had comparative advantage such as cardiothoracic surgery, invitro fertilisation and other fertility solutions, orthopaedics, traditional medicine, among others.

“We plan to ensure we gain international accreditation seals on our facilities to ensure we achieve this.

We plan to deploy a lot of technology in our medical tourism drive.

This will include but not limited to e-health, m-health, artificial intelligence, etc.

“Government resources alone cannot enable us to achieve this,” he said, and called on private capital from around the world to support the effort.

He said the MoU would also enhance the development of a national vaccine institute.

Mr Agyeman-Manu emphasised that the world must ensure that digital revolution benefitted everyone, stressing that no country could survive without strategic partners.