Hon. Minister of Health urges cooperation and collaboration with HeFRA and the sister regulatory bodies.

The Minister of Health, Hon. Kwaku Agyeman-Manu has called for cooperation and collaboration between HeFRA and the sister regulatory bodies to ensure an effective health service delivery. He said, he was aware of the current challenges around that, and so congratulated HeFRA for convening the stakeholder meeting to help create a common understanding of roles and responsibilities around its mandate.

The Minister made the statement during a day’s meeting held in Accra to highlight the significant role HeFRA is mandated to play in the health service delivery in the country. The meeting brought together several agencies within the health sector to have an in-depth knowledge about the operation of this new regulatory agency.

In a speech, the Hon. Kwaku Agyeman-Manu who was the special invited guest at the function, said, he was happy to have found almost the entire health sector players present at the meeting and acknowledged their presence while thanking them for the contribution towards the provision of healthcare in Ghana.

On the establishment of HeFRA, the Minister, said, it is the youngest among the regulatory bodies, though, in actual fact, it is one of the oldest regulatory bodies, evolving from the Private Hospitals and Maternity Homes Board and now Christened HeFRA. At the time, the Minister added, had a limited mandate and covered the private sector hospitals, including clinics and maternity homes in the country. He said, for some reason, the government did not consider that public-sector health facilities also required regulations.

The Hon. Minister of Health disclosed that, with its new name; HeFRA, its mandate now extends to both private and public health facilities as well as all other types of health facilities other than hospitals and maternity homes. The extended mandate was as a result of government’s recognition that, the quality of healthcare services delivered by health facilities, both private and public could not and should not be taken for granted. It requires regulation and supervision. Though, healthcare professionals and their practice, healthcare technologies and their specification were being regulated, the facilities in which these services were provided and the outcomes of care they provide was not, he intimated.

Mr. Matthew Yaw Kyeremeh, the Acting Registrar of HeFRA who led the meeting took the participants through the HeFRA Acts, functions, areas of coverage role, successes and challenges being faced.

Some of the agencies also took time to share some knowledge with the participants on the way forward as HeFRA puts in structures to deliver on its mandate.

Report by

Mr. Robert Cudjoe

Head, PR, MOH