Former Director General of the Ghana Health Service, Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa says the many systems in Ghana’s Health Service are leading to inefficiencies. Prof Akosa was speaking at a forum in Accra. He believes Ghana does not need the four health systems currently being operated in the country. “There should be one health service; the United Kingdom has one health service. It has 32 medical schools but it doesn’t have 32 separate agencies. And everybody works with the policies of the National Health Service,” he said. “And if they can accommodate 32 why can’t we accommodate three, or four, or five for the future? We need one Ghana Health Service that creates what I call a seamless industry from the rural community right down to the tertiary centre…” Fund managers Prof Akosa is also raising issues with the management of funds by the National Health Insurance Scheme. He said the scheme must focus on the function of regulation while it engages an independent entity to manage it. “The people in the National Health Insurance are not fund managers. Even the Ministry of Health Car Revolving Fund, we advertised and we got fund managers whose duty it is to be seen and watching the investment portfolio and invest in things,” he said. “Why should non-fund managers be looking after what now contributes considerably to the health sector? I’m saying, identify fund managers, let them look after the fund. The National Health Insurance Scheme is to look at regulation. Because they are sitting over and looking after the money, the regulation is poor,” he added. Play the attached audio for excerpts Akosa's submissions Source: Joy News/Myjoyonline.com/Ghana