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The Ministry of Health has presented four ambulances and a water tanker to four institutions as part of efforts to enhance healthcare delivery.
The beneficiary institutions are the Ghana Armed Forces, the Ghana Police Service (Police Hospital), the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital and the Tamale Teaching Hospital. The Tamale Teaching Hospital in addition had a water tanker to help improve water supply in the facility.
The equipment, costing $1.56 million, was financed by the Japanese government through the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), following a request made by the government of Ghana.
In a speech read on behalf of the caretaker Minister of Health, Ursula Owusu-Ekuful, at a brief ceremony in Accra yesterday to hand over the vehicles, the Minister of Health designate, Dr Bernard Okoe Boye, said, “these pieces of equipment are part of the Japanese government’s support to Ghana’s Primary Health Programme to strengthen Ghana’s health system”.
He said the country had benefited from the long and successful relationship with the government of Japan which dated back several years through technical assistance, grant aid and donation of equipment and commodities.
He mentioned some of them as the African Health and Well-being Initiative; the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) drive of Ghana and the development and launch of the National Health Policy, as well as support for Ghana’s COVID-19 response.
He expressed the country’s gratitude to Japan for its continuous support. Dr Okoe Boye said the presentation of the equipment was in line with the ministry’s drive to deliver the UHC to increase access to quality essential healthcare and public health services for all by 2030.
“We, therefore, re-emphasise the importance of all these investments of our universal health goal, especially in improving access to quality health services,” he said.
The Chief Director of the Ministry of Health, Alhaji Hafiz Adam, said the ministry was resolved to attain the UHC by 2030 and called on all partners to put their hands on deck.
He said the UHC was a collective responsibility which called for collaboration among all stakeholders. Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Deputy Chief of Staff, Medical, of the Ghana Armed Forces, Major General Raymond Ewusi, thanked the government and the JICA for the support and pledged that the equipment would be maintained.
