President John Dramani Mahama has announced that Cabinet has approved the establishment of Ghana Medical Equipment Services Ltd., a subsidiary of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund, to improve the management, maintenance, and use of medical equipment in hospitals across the country.
The President said the decision was informed by lessons from previous government investments in the health sector, stressing that poor maintenance had rendered many expensive medical machines unusable within a short period.
Speaking on the initiative, President Mahama recalled that during his tenure as Vice President under the late President John Evans Atta Mills, government invested about $250 million to retool major regional and teaching hospitals with essential medical equipment, including CT scanners, MRI machines, X-ray systems, and other critical diagnostic tools.
“When I was Vice President to Professor Atta Mills, we spent about $250 million to retool all the major regional and teaching hospitals in this country, providing CT scans, MRIs, X-rays and all the major equipment that was needed.
“A few years after that, we found out that most of that equipment was not properly maintained and had broken down, and the hospitals were calling on government again to do another retooling or replace the equipment. It is not a sustainable model.” He stated.
President Mahama explained that the new arrangement seeks to prevent a recurrence of that situation by introducing a dedicated institution responsible for the upkeep of medical equipment.
“Cabinet has approved the Ghana Medical Equipment Services Limited, which will be a subsidiary of the Ghana Medical Trust Fund. These will be specialized biomedical engineers who will oversee and supervise the use and maintenance of the equipment.” He said.
According to the President, the company will also serve as the vehicle for replacing obsolete equipment and ensuring that medical devices in public health facilities are properly managed throughout their operational lifespan.
The initiative is expected to improve healthcare delivery, reduce the cost of replacing damaged equipment, and ensure patients continue to benefit from reliable diagnostic and treatment services in hospitals across Ghana.
Source: Newspyramid.com
