President Akufo-Addo cutting a tape to commission the beds. With him is Hawa Koomson (left), Minister for Special Initiative.
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has handed over some 10,000 hospital beds to the Ministry of Health (MoH) for onward distribution to health facilities in the country.
In total, 1,500 pieces of critical care beds with overhead tables, 2,000 pieces of standard hospital beds with backside lockers, 4,000 pieces of health centre beds with bedside lockers, 1,000 pieces of children’s cots and 1,500 pieces of delivery beds are being distributed to all 275 constituencies.
The beds were procured by the Ministry of Special Development Initiatives (MSDI), in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Ghana Health Service (GHS) under the Infrastructure for Poverty Eradication Programme (IPEP), and were warehoused on the premises of the Ghana Armed Forces.
This initiative, which is another landmark achievement of the NPP government, is aimed at improving healthcare delivery in Ghana under the leadership of President Akufo-Addo.
These beds were procured from the equivalent of the $1 million per constituency (1M1C) allocation under IPEP.
Speaking at the ceremony, President Akufo-Addo said, “It is always disconcerting to see patients being treated in wheelchairs, in plastic chairs and even on the floors because of the unavailability of beds.”
“Government’s determination to see an end to this ‘no-bed syndrome’ has resulted in the decision to procure these hospital beds and their associated accessories for distribution across the country to augment the existing numbers in the country,” he said.
The President added, “The maximize comfort for patients who will use them for extended periods of time and their customizable features will make it easy to adjust specific parts of the bed.”
For him, the handover of the 10,000 beds reinforces his government’s commitment to improve access to essential and quality health services through the provision of the necessary health infrastructure equipment and logistics, including the deployment of appropriate technology as part of the drive to attain universal health coverage.
He, therefore, urged users and hospital staffs to take good care of the beds which had come at a significant cost to the taxpayer.
“Four more years for Nana and the NPP will do more for you because we are motivated by a vision of ensuring that the basic infrastructure in education, health and social services is equitably distributed throughout our nation to provide relief and encouragement to all sectors of society. That is how we build a united Ghana,” he added.
By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent