Prof Akosa calls for research into health implications of galamsey

Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa, former Director General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), has called for research into the health implications of heavy metals used by illegal miners on the various rivers in the country.

He said it is not all the people staying downstream of the polluted rivers who could afford to depend on sachet water and the country needed to know the effect of the polluted water on those who drunk it, to enable the country to prepare for its implications before the country was taken by surprise.

Prof. Akosa was speaking at the formal opening of the 15th Annual General Meeting of the Medical Superintendents Group at Koforidua.

He said when the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) was introduced, it was meant to provide only 15 per cent of the financial support for health care at the health facilities, but all of a sudden, the 85 per cent of the financial support from government had been withdrawn and called for the return of the 85 per cent of government support for the health facilities to enable them have sufficient resource to provide better health services.

He called on the Ministry of Health (MOH) to come out with the human resource targets for the provision of the required standard of health care that the country required and work towards its achievement.

Prof. Akosa expressed his supported for the employment of health personnel by the District and Regional Directorates of the Health Service to ensure fair distribution of health personnel across the country.

The Director General of the Ghana Health Service and a member of the National Health Insurance Board, Dr Nsiah Asare called on Medical Superintendents to support the government to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).

He said since January this year, the government had paid 800 million Ghana Cedis of Health Insurance claims.

Dr Asare said Ghana Health Service was to monitor the submission of NHI claims and payments and offered support to ensure that no health facility suffered rejection of their NHI claims.

He said the GHS was still talking to the Ministry of Finance for the review of the requirement that a certain percentage of the Internally Generated Fund should be paid to government chest.

Earlier in a welcoming address, the National President of the Medical Superintendent Group, Dr Ofori Boadu called for the review of the financial regulation that public health facilities should pay 34 per cent of their IGF to government chest.

He explained that, the regulation was denying the health facilities of funds for rendering better health care to their clients.

He called for the review of service conditions of Medical Superintendents to ensure that they were provided with what was due them.