Twenty health personnel across the country are receiving training in quality healthcare improvement from the Mastercard Foundation Africa Higher Education Health Collaborative.

The quality healthcare improvement short course which is in partnership with the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology and the University of Toronto, seeks to equip health personnel with the requisite strength and capacity to meet the growing demand for primary healthcare in the health centre.

The course is spearheaded by the health employment pillar of the Collaborative led by Dr. Kofi Akohene Mensah.

Participants in this 5-day workshop represented Asamang SDA Hospital, Kokofu General Hospital, St. Francis Xavier, Adidome Government Hospital, Karaga Hospital and Tepa Hospital.

Speaking at the opening ceremony, Deputy Executive Director of Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG), Dr. James Duah emphasized the role of quality healthcare in the achievement of the Universal Health Coverage.

“We have built several healthcare facilities, community health planning and services and government’s new programme to increase geographical access; increased output from our medical schools, nurses and allied health training schools in order to have more doctors, nurses, midwives and allied health personnel to support health care delivery."

“While these are great in achieving coverage, there can be no coverage without quality,” he said.

One of the facilitators, Ms. Bonifacia Benefo Agyei was also optimistic the workshop will lessen the challenges in Ghana’s health system.

“We’re struggling as a country and even as a continent. I believe this programme has come at an opportune time, because we’re in the system where we want to achieve the UHC,” she said.

Leader of the team from the University of Toronto, Dr. Magarita Lam Antoniades expressed the University of Toronto’s resolve to strengthen the primary healthcare system.

“We are very committed to the strengthening of the primary healthcare system in a way that can lead to the strengthening of the whole health system,” she said.