President Akufo-Addo has disclosed that government is collaborating with the private sector to establish 14 medical waste treatment facility across the country to help address the safe disposal of medical waste.

During the State of Nation Address, today, Akufo-Addo stated that he is mindful of the "problem associated with vaccinations, and that is how to dispose of used PPEs, vials, needles and syringes that are being used in the vaccination exercise", hence the need to establish a medical waste treatment facility to cater for the medical waste.

"Government is collaborating with the private sector to establish 14 medical waste treatment facilities across the country to help address one and for all, the safe disposal of medical waste," he stated.

He also touted the achievement of his administration in the health sector in equipping some constituencies in the country with ambulances as well as the implementation of certain "major health projects".

“We presently have 307 functioning and well-equipped ambulances under the One-Constituency-One-Ambulance Initiative, supported by a state-of-the-art, digitised Command Centre to field emergency calls and to dispatch ambulances.”

“Last year, 33 major health projects were approved for implementation at a cost of €890 million. Key amongst them are the Koforidua Regional Hospital, Tema General Hospital, the Nephrology and Urology Centre at Korle-Bu, Redevelopment of the Effia Nkwanta Hospital into a Teaching Hospital, and the Construction of a new Regional Hospital at Agona Nkwanta in the Western Region.,” he added.

The president also used the opportunity to thank all frontline health workers for their service and devotion to the nation in the fight against Covid-19, adding that the Covid-19 pandemic “has emphasized the need to expand access to healthcare for every Ghanaian, irrespective of his or her location.”