Mr Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, the Minister for Health, has paid a working visit to the Ketu North Municipality to inspect the newly completed Health Kiosk at the Dzesime Market in Dzodze under the Government of Ghana’s flagship Free Primary Health Care (FPHC) programme.
The Minister was accompanied by the Volta Regional Minister, Mr James Gunu, the Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), directors from the GHS Headquarters, the Volta Regional Director of Health Services, members of the Regional and Municipal Health Management Teams, as well as officials of the Ketu North Municipal Assembly.
The Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) for Ketu North, Rev Martin Amenaki, and the Municipal Coordinating Director joined the delegation during the inspection of the facility.
Mr Sumaila Gariba Abubakari, Municipal Director of Health Services for Ketu North, received the delegation and led the Minister and his entourage on a tour of the facility to assess the quality and readiness of the project.
The Health Minister expressed satisfaction with the standard of work and commended all stakeholders whose contributions led to the successful completion of the facility.
He stressed the need to operationalise the Health Kiosk to enable it to provide essential primary healthcare services to traders, market women and residents within the market enclave and surrounding communities.
The facility is expected to improve access to healthcare services, reduce travel time for patients seeking basic medical care and ease pressure on larger health facilities in the municipality.
During an interaction with market women and community members, Mr Akandoh explained the objectives of the Free Primary Health Care programme and encouraged residents to embrace the initiative.
He described the programme as a major government intervention aimed at improving access to quality healthcare services and advancing the country’s efforts towards achieving Universal Health Coverage.
The Minister also acknowledged the role played by the Member of Parliament for Ketu North, Mr Eric Edem Agbana, in securing the project.
According to him, the MP actively lobbied for the facility, which contributed significantly to its realisation.
He further commended the MP’s leadership and the commitment of the people of Ketu North towards community and national development.
Rev Amenaki welcomed the Minister and his delegation to the municipality and described the visit as a major boost to healthcare delivery efforts in the area.
He noted that the Health Kiosk would bring healthcare services closer to market women and residents while improving healthcare accessibility within the municipality.
“The facility will significantly improve access to healthcare services for our people, particularly traders and residents around the market. It will also reduce the burden on existing health facilities and contribute to better health outcomes,” he said.
Rev Amenaki reiterated the Assembly’s commitment to supporting initiatives that improve the welfare of residents and pledged continued collaboration with government and development partners to deliver more development projects to communities across the municipality.
The Health Kiosk forms part of government’s broader strategy to strengthen primary healthcare delivery and bring essential health services closer to communities across the country.