You will lose your position if you tamper with postings — Health minister warns health directors

Minister for Health Kwabena Mintah Akandoh has warned directors and senior officials within the health sector against interfering with approved staff postings, stating that any unauthorised changes will attract severe sanctions, including dismissal from office.

Speaking during an engagement with the Catholic Bishops of Ghana, the Minister stressed that government would not tolerate any attempts to manipulate the deployment of health professionals.

“If you change postings, you change your position as a director,” Mr Akandoh cautioned.

He explained that the directive forms part of government's efforts to promote discipline, fairness and transparency in the posting of health workers across the country.

According to him, the government is committed to deploying healthcare professionals to underserved regions and districts to ensure equitable access to quality healthcare services nationwide.

Mr Akandoh also highlighted several flagship interventions aimed at expanding healthcare access, including the Free Primary Healthcare Initiative, the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), and the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, popularly known as MahamaCare.

Touching on the stalled Agenda 111 hospital projects, the Minister acknowledged that funding challenges had delayed the completion of many of the facilities.

He disclosed that the government has prioritised the completion of 35 hospitals to enable them to begin serving the public.

To accelerate the process, Mr Akandoh appealed to faith-based organisations, particularly the Catholic Church, to partner with the government on a non-profit basis in completing some of the projects, with government providing the necessary health personnel and operational support.

“We acknowledge the Catholic Church’s immense contribution to healthcare delivery in this country. We need that partnership now more than ever,” he said.

President of the Ghana Catholic Bishops' Conference, Most Rev. Matthew Kwasi Gyamfi, welcomed the Minister's initiative and called for stronger collaboration between the Ministry of Health and Catholic health institutions across the country to improve healthcare delivery.

The meeting formed part of the Ministry's ongoing stakeholder engagement aimed at strengthening partnerships and enhancing healthcare services nationwide.