Hon. Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, Minister of Health, paid a surprise working visit to the Asesewa Government Hospital in the Eastern Region as part of the government’s reinvigorated efforts to improve healthcare service and advance Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
The visit, which took place on Saturday, January 31, 2026, aimed to inspect the facility’s infrastructure and engage directly with management and frontline health workers on service delivery concerns.
During the hospital trip, the Minister saw what he described as long-standing infrastructure deficiencies, pointing out that certain current facilities were insufficient to fulfil the expanding healthcare demands of the Asesewa and nearby areas.
“This is an infrastructure gap that has accumulated over the years,” Hon. Akandoh said.
“Government is committed to addressing these challenges, but management must also take necessary local decisions to improve service delivery while we work on the broader interventions.”
The Health Minister committed to help the hospital increase its staffing levels, signalling that more health professionals would be assigned to the facility to relieve workload demands and improve patient care.
He also used the visit to emphasise the significance of equitable postings, particularly to hard-to-reach places, and urged hospital administrators to assist health workers assigned to such communities rather than oppose their deployment.
Hon. Akandoh also stated that he will soon begin a series of regional visits, beginning with the Oti Region, to engage District Chief Executives, traditional leaders, and other stakeholders in ensuring that medical officers stationed in underserved areas are provided with adequate housing and basic support.
The Minister reiterated his long-held belief that medical officer postings would not be altered, stating that equitable distribution of health professionals is essential to attaining equity in healthcare access nationwide.
He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to filling in the gaps in public health facilities’ infrastructure, characterising better infrastructure as a key component of Universal Health Coverage, which aims to guarantee that every citizen may obtain necessary medical care without facing financial hardship.
The Minister claims that as part of larger primary healthcare reforms meant to improve healthcare delivery at the local level, plans are in place to prioritise and retool government health facilities, especially in underprivileged areas like Asesewa.
Source: newsthemegh.com