By Savannah Pokuaah Duah
The Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has received a delegation from the Government of Italy to discuss the ongoing collaboration between Ghana and Italy aimed at retooling 37 selected public health facilities across the country.
The meeting focused on advancing discussions surrounding a concessional loan agreement from the Italian Government to fund the retooling project, which was initiated in 2021.
The project seeks to transform clinical service delivery by equipping the targeted hospitals with modern medical equipment, replacing obsolete tools, and ultimately reducing the all-cause institutional mortality rate.
Speaking during the meeting, Minister Akandoh outlined key government priorities in the health sector. These include the construction of six additional regional hospitals in the newly created regions, the upgrading of existing regional hospitals, and the establishment of a 500-bed Children’s and Fertility Centre of Excellence, among other initiatives.
He expressed appreciation for Italy’s commitment to Ghana’s health sector, describing the initiative as both timely and critical to enhancing healthcare delivery across the country. He also assured that personnel would be trained to operate and maintain the new equipment once procured.
The Italian delegation, led by Director General for Development Cooperation Stefano Gatti, revealed that the project’s Concept Notes, Pre-feasibility, and Feasibility Studies have all been completed and approved by Ghana’s Ministry of Finance.
He reaffirmed his government’s readiness to support the initiative through a concessional loan and expressed optimism that the partnership would bring lasting benefits to Ghana’s healthcare infrastructure.
The Ministry remains confident that with continued bilateral cooperation, the project will move to its implementation phase, ensuring that beneficiary health facilities receive the full complement of equipment required to meet their patients’ clinical needs.
