The Upper East Regional branch of the Private Health Facilities Association of Ghana has appealed to government to allocate part of the Ghc1 billion economic recovery package for Bawku to support private healthcare providers who continued to operate during the height of the conflict in the area.
The appeal was made by Dr. Aduko Amiah, Regional Chairman of the association, during the group’s end-of-year dinner held at Tap Hotel in Bolgatanga.
Addressing members, government officials and other stakeholders at the event, Dr. Amiah said private health facilities played a critical role in providing healthcare services in Bawku and surrounding communities when the security situation forced some public health facilities to scale down or suspend operations.
According to him, many private facilities remained operational during the most difficult periods of the conflict, ensuring that residents continued to access essential health services.
“The conflict has severely affected business operations over the past few years. During the most difficult periods, private health facilities were often the only functioning healthcare providers after many public facilities scaled down operations,” he said.
Dr. Amiah, therefore, welcomed the government’s announcement of a Ghc1 billion economic recovery package for Bawku but urged authorities to consider including private healthcare providers as beneficiaries of the support.
“In recognition of the critical role private facilities played during the crisis, we respectfully appeal for consideration of a special support window within this package to help restore and strengthen private healthcare operations in the area,” he added.
The chairman noted that private health facilities continue to complement the public healthcare system and contribute significantly to healthcare delivery in the region. He said the association had been working to strengthen unity among members and promote quality healthcare standards across private facilities.
Looking ahead, he announced several initiatives aimed at improving the operations and welfare of member facilities. These include plans to establish a comprehensive welfare scheme for members, introduce structured peer review and learning visits among facilities, and implement a pooled procurement system for drugs and medical consumables.
According to him, the pooled procurement initiative is expected to reduce operational costs and enable facilities to benefit from economies of scale.
The association also plans to strengthen engagement with institutions such as the Ghana Revenue Authority and the Social Security and National Insurance Trust to address operational challenges faced by private health providers.
Despite these plans, Dr. Amiah outlined several concerns affecting private healthcare delivery in the region. Among them are delays in the implementation of new tariffs under the National Health Insurance Scheme, which he said have remained unchanged for more than three years despite rising economic pressures.
He warned that the delay is affecting the ability of private facilities to adequately pay staff, settle supplier obligations and meet statutory requirements.
Another major challenge highlighted was the shortage of clinical personnel in private facilities. Dr. Amiah explained that many private facilities recruit and train newly qualified health workers who are later absorbed into the public sector, leaving the private sector with persistent staffing gaps.
He called on government and policymakers to support initiatives that would enable private facilities to retain skilled personnel and maintain quality healthcare standards.
The chairman also raised concerns about what he described as inappropriate practices by some pharmacies, laboratories and over-the-counter medicine sellers who operate beyond their licensing scope, sometimes diagnosing and treating patients in ways that could endanger public health. He urged regulatory authorities to strengthen monitoring and ensure strict compliance with licensing requirements to protect the integrity of healthcare delivery.
A1 Radio | 101.1Mhz | Joshua Asaah | Bolgatanga
