By: Peter Agengre
The Member of Parliament for Nabdam and Board Member of the Health Facilities Regulatory Agency (HeFRA), Dr. Mark Kurt Nawaane, has inspected offices allocated at the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) to serve as the Upper East Regional Office of HeFRA.
The inspection was conducted together with the Upper East Regional Minister, Akamugri Donatus Atanga, and the Upper East Regional Coordinating Director, Alhaji Mohammed Issahaku.
According to Dr. Nawaane, the visit was to assess the state of the offices and identify the necessary work required to fast-track their operationalization.
He commended the Regional Minister for his keen interest in ensuring that the HeFRA regional office is established in the Upper East Region.
Highlighting the importance of the regional HeFRA office, the Nabdam MP explained that the Agency regulates all health facilities in the country, including government, quasi-government, and faith-based health institutions. He noted that the presence of HeFRA in the region will significantly improve the quality of healthcare delivery.
“Because if something goes wrong, we don’t have to go to Accra to complain. Right here, corrective measures can be taken immediately,” he stated.
He further explained that HeFRA will ensure health facilities provide the services they are licensed to offer and maintain high standards of quality. He cited situations where facilities claim to offer services such as X-ray but fail to do so due to prolonged equipment breakdowns, describing such practices as unacceptable.
“They will ensure that facilities provide the services they claim to offer, and that the quality of those services is very high,” he added.
The Upper East Regional Minister, Hon. Akamugri Donatus Atanga, said the establishment of a regional HeFRA office will help curb certain unethical practices in some health facilities that take advantage of patients’ vulnerability.
He explained that when people are sick, they are often desperate and susceptible to exploitation. He cited instances where patients are told certain drugs or laboratory services are unavailable in public facilities, only to be referred to private individuals operating within the same institutions.
He expressed confidence that the presence of HeFRA in the region will help address these challenges and ensure that citizens have access to quality healthcare, in line with the vision of President John Mahama, who has prioritized healthcare delivery in his government.
