Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, Health Minister
The Minister of Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has cautioned the public that attacks on health professionals will not be tolerated under any circumstance.
He said that no matter the level of provocation, his ministry and the John Dramani Mahama-led National Democratic Congress (NDC) government will ensure the safety and protection of medical workers across the country.
Mr. Akandoh, who is also the Member of Parliament for Juaboso, issued the caution at a press conference yesterday, following reports of an assault at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital involving NDC activist Ralph Williams.
“Let me reiterate to the whole country that irrespective of the level of provocation at any health facility in this country, nobody, irrespective of your status in society—absolutely nobody has the right to attack any health professional,” he stressed.
24-hour call centre
The Minister of Health further announced the establishment of a 24-hour call centre to handle patient complaints across hospitals in the country.
Mr. Akandoh said the initiative would provide the public with a direct channel to report dissatisfaction with healthcare services.
“The best you can do is lodge a complaint. And that brings me to client service. This is what we are doing. We have made some numbers available, so if people feel dissatisfied, they can call,” he said.
He explained that calls to the hotline would not automatically mean complainants are right, but assured that all cases would be handled fairly.
“The fact that you have called to lodge a complaint doesn’t mean that you are right. We will look into the matter and deal with it appropriately,” he stated.
Mr. Akandoh added that hospitals had been instructed to display the hotline numbers clearly to make them easily accessible to patients nationwide.
“We have communicated directly to all health facilities in the country, to the Director-General and the teaching hospitals, that they must make these suggestion boxes and numbers conspicuously posted at all health facilities. It is something I am pursuing aggressively,” he said.
The Minister noted that the call centre was part of efforts to strengthen accountability and improve patient care nationwide.
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