GHS Director-General Urges Administrators to Improve Health Facility Management
The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, has urged health service administrators to improve facility management, strengthen accountability and maintain essential equipment to ensure the successful implementation of Free Primary Healthcare.
He said good leadership and corporate governance were essential to translating government health policies into quality healthcare and better patient experiences.
Dr Akoriyea made the call at the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Association of Health Services Administrators, Ghana (AHSAG), in Tamale, held on the theme: “Building Resilient Free Primary Healthcare Systems for Universal Health Coverage: The Leadership Role of Health Service Administrators.”
He stressed the need for merit-based appointments and performance-driven management, assuring members that the GHS would guide appointments based on advertised vacancy requirements, with performance as an important consideration.
He also urged administrators to maintain clean, welcoming facilities, strengthen security by installing closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras, and ensure the proper maintenance of vehicles, motorbikes and biomedical equipment.
Dr Akoriyea expressed concern about gaps in equipment and vehicle maintenance, warning that poor upkeep could disrupt facility operations and affect service delivery.
“If the transport unit cannot maintain our cars and motorbikes, and our biomedical engineers cannot maintain the equipment, then there is an issue that needs to be fixed,” he said.
He urged administrators to take ownership of Free Primary Healthcare by strengthening operational systems, managing resources responsibly and regularly assessing their performance to identify and address gaps.
The President of AHSAG, Rev. Ezekiel Amadu Daribi, commended the government for introducing Free Primary Healthcare and the Mahama Cares programme, but stressed that effective administration was necessary to turn such initiatives into improved healthcare services.
He called on the Ministry of Health, GHS, and the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) to prioritise recruiting qualified health service administrators to ensure effective management of health facilities.
“This year’s theme reminds us of a fundamental truth: good healthcare requires good administration and good corporate governance,” he said, adding that the success of health policies depended on those responsible for translating them into practical results.
Grace Acheampong, ISD
