Two former Central Regional Minsters and a retired health worker were on Tuesday honoured by the Central Regional Health Service for their outstanding contribution to the improvement of the health status of the Region.

The former ministers are Dr. Stephen Nana Ato Arthur, the Member of Parliament for Komenda-Edina-Eguafo-Abrem who served in the Kufuor administration and Mrs Ama Benyiwa Doe, a member of the Council of State, who served in the Mills Administration.

The retired health worker was Dr. Benoni Kweku Bondzi-Simpson, who was the first Ghanaian medical officer of the Region.

The three personalities, who were presented with a citation, a plaque and a parcel, are the first recipients of the an award scheme dubbed “Distinguished Personality- For-Health-Awards” instituted this year as part of the regional health service’s annual performance review.

In an address the Central Regional Director of the Service, Dr. Samuel Tetteh Kwashie, said the awards scheme, initiated by the Regional Health Management Team (RHMT), was aimed at recognizing individuals in and outside the health sector who had impacted it.

He said by recognizing such personalities, the RHMT was motivating them to continue to support the service and be key advocates for health wherever and in whatever position they found themselves.

He said the personalities were honoured to challenge other personalities who had the potential to make outstanding impact on health to contribute their quota to improve the health status of the people in the region.

“Championing the course of the health of the people is not the preserve of health workers but rather a collective responsibility of all”, Dr Kwashie said.

Dr. Kwashie described the former ministers as personalities who used politics for health and not health for politics and praised Dr. Bondzie-Simpson for standing tall among his peers in the development of the health service in the region.

Dr. Bondzi-Simpson, in an acceptance speech on behalf of the awardees, said they were extremely humbled adding that while at post, they felt they were doing their jobs and appealed to health and related workers to serve diligently.

He called on the government to provide the health sector the required facilities, equipment, logistics and infrastructure and also provide the capacity to train more people into the various health disciplines to build their competences.