Akufo-Addo Gives Health Tips At SONA
For many who were present in Parliament or had sat in front of a television set to listen to the President’s State of the Nation Address (SONA), they may have picked a few heath tips from his address.
In order to build a nation with healthy citizens, the president says Ghanaians must learn to take care of themselves so they do not end up in the hospital for treatment.
Apart from maintaining regular check-up visits to the hospitals, Nana Akufo-Addo advised that Ghanaians should engage more in exercising.
Regular exercise according to health experts helps prevent or manage a wide range of health problems and concerns, including stroke, metabolic syndrome, high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes, and many types of cancer
These illnesses happen to top the chart of diseases recorded in various health facilities spread across the country.
“Ghana’s hardworking nurses and doctors would do their best, as they have always done, to make sure we get the best health care, but it behoves on each one of us to look after ourselves better,” the president said.
Apart from exercising, he urged the Ghanaian populace to eat healthy diets to prevent diseases that are caused by poor choices of nutrition.
Still staying on the matter of health, Nana Akufo-Addo assured Ghanaians of government’s effort to sustain a workable health system.
To deliver healthcare to Ghanaians more efficiently, he said the Ministry of Health (MoH) is working to obtain financial clearance for the recruitment of the 2017 and 2018 health graduates from various health institutions.
Government had in 2018, granted financial clearance for the recruitment of 11,018 health personnel to increase existing clinical staff.
To augment the efforts of clinical staff, in September, 2018, the MoH received further financial clearance to employ 14,254 Nurse Assistants.
These nurse assistants belong to the tranche that passed their exams in 2016 from Government Health Training Institutions, and have commenced work by 1st February, 2019.
The President said about 275 ambulances are expected to arrive in June adding that Ghana’s health delivery system will be significantly strengthened by it.
Health Infrastructure
The President revealed that plans were underway to bring to completion to all health infrastructures which had been hitherto abandoned.
“We have problems of numerous structures at various stages of completion that cannot be finished and brought into use, because newer structures are being started, and there is no money to finish the ones started earlier.
“This is a long-standing problem that is a mark of our underdevelopment. We will not ignore or sweep the problem under the carpet. We are dealing with it, and will complete them,” Akufo-Addo noted.
By Grace Ablewor Sogbey
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