‘Help us complete Agenda 111 hospitals’ — Health Minister Akandoh begs churches and private investors

Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh has revealed that the government is exploring partnerships with the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG), churches and financially capable private individuals to complete the stalled Agenda 111 hospital projects and expand access to quality healthcare across the country.

Speaking on the government's plans for the health sector, the minister said the initiative is intended to ensure value for money while fast-tracking the completion of the hospital projects.

According to him, the government remains committed to delivering the facilities but recognizes the need for strategic partnerships to accelerate their completion and improve healthcare infrastructure nationwide.

Akandoh also addressed the persistent "No Bed Syndrome”, describing it as a challenge driven not only by inadequate hospital beds and medical equipment but also by inefficiencies in patient management at some health facilities.

He acknowledged that while many hospitals continue to face shortages of beds and monitors, some emergency units also struggle with prolonged patient stays, reducing the availability of beds for incoming emergency cases.

“The beds and monitors are not enough. However, most of this is how some hospitals manage them,” he said.

The Health Minister explained that in some hospitals, patients remain in emergency wards for more than 24 hours after receiving initial treatment which, to him, is unnecessarily occupying beds that should be available for new emergency admissions.

To address the situation, he disclosed that the Ministry of Health is introducing a bed management system across regional and teaching hospitals to improve patient flow and monitor bed occupancy in real time.

“We are now creating visibility in regional hospitals and teaching hospitals through a bed management centre to allow us to track patients who have overstayed in their emergency wards,” Akandoh stated.

He said the new system would enable hospital administrators to identify delays in patient transfers, free up emergency beds more quickly and ultimately help reduce the incidence of the “No Bed Syndrome”.

The minister expressed confidence that the combined approach of completing the Agenda 111 health facility projects and strengthening hospital bed management would significantly improve healthcare delivery and ensure more Ghanaians have timely access to emergency medical care.