The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Prof. Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, has urged health workers to prioritise their annual leave, emphasising that their welfare is essential to maintaining effective healthcare delivery across the country.
He said the well-being of health professionals must be given the necessary attention because of the critical responsibilities they perform in protecting lives and providing essential medical services to communities.
He made this assertion during the official launch of the 23rd Annual General Conference of the Ghana Physician Assistants Association at the Jemima Grace Kodua Antwi Hotel in Techiman, the Bono East Regional capital which is being held under the theme, “From Policy to Practice: Positioning the Physician Assistant to Deliver Comprehensive Free Primary Healthcare at the Community Level.”
The conference brings together members of the Association and other healthcare stakeholders to deliberate on professional development, members’ welfare and the role of physician assistants in improving healthcare delivery in Ghana.
The Director-General stressed that health workers played a central role in the well-being of communities, making it important for their welfare to be treated as a priority rather than an afterthought.
“The welfare of all health workers is very important, and therefore, they should prioritise their annual leave,. The lives of our communities are in their hands,” he said.
He also outlined the professional standards expected of physician assistants, urging them to maintain clean health facilities, ensure stable service delivery and apply their professional knowledge and intelligence in treating patients with dignity.
According to him, the quality of healthcare delivery depends not only on the availability of health professionals but also on their conduct, competence and commitment to providing appropriate care.
Prof. Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, disclosed that physician assistants were expected to combine professional knowledge with sound judgement and respect for patients, adding that clean health facilities and stable service delivery were important to building public confidence in the health system.
He also explained the symbolism of the colours associated with the profession, linking them to the values expected of physician assistants.
“Blue signifies calmness, stability and intelligence. Red indicates the fire in them, while white represents how pure and clean they are,” he said.
He challenged members of the profession to reflect these values in their daily work by maintaining high standards of practice and treating patients with dignity and respect.
Source: Newspyramid.com
