The Ashanti Regional Chapter of the Private Health Facilities Association of Ghana has called on the Government of Ghana to include private hospitals in the nationwide posting of nurses and other health professionals, citing growing concerns over unequal treatment in the health sector.
Speaking to the media during their mid-year general meeting and the official commissioning of their newly built ultramodern secretariat at Asokwa in Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the Association, Dr. Francis Fosu, described the situation as both unfair and worrying.
According to Dr. Fosu, the government consistently posts health workers only to public hospitals, neglecting private health facilities that also play a significant role in the country’s healthcare delivery. He emphasised that private facilities form a vital part of the national health infrastructure and should, therefore, not be left out in the distribution of critical human resources.
“It is very sad and worrying that while government health facilities are being given priority in the posting of nurses and other staffs, private health institutions—which contribute immensely to healthcare delivery in Ghana—are being neglected. We are calling on the government to correct this imbalance,” he said.
Dr. Fosu further noted that this disparity hampers the ability of private hospitals to deliver quality healthcare services, particularly in underserved communities where private clinics often fill essential gaps in public healthcare.
In addition to the issue of postings, Dr. Fosu highlighted another major challenge confronting private healthcare providers—the high cost of medicines in comparison to the reimbursement rates provided by the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS). He explained that the rising market prices of drugs far exceed what NHIS pays back to private facilities, resulting in financial strain and potential service limitations.
“We are appealing to the government to review the NHIS pricing structure. In most cases, the medicines we buy are far more expensive than what the NHIS pays us. This situation is unsustainable and needs urgent government attention,” he added.
Present at the meeting was the Ashanti Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Fred Adomako Boateng, who delivered the keynote address. He emphasised the need for unity across both public and private sectors of healthcare delivery, insisting that all health professionals are working towards the same goal.
“We are not public hospitals or private hospitals. We are all health workers delivering the same services for the benefit of Ghanaians. What we need is unity of purpose, especially in the area of public health prevention,” Dr. Boateng stated.
Some scenes from the event attached below;
