The Director General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye has disclosed that the service had recruited more than 33,000 new staff to increase the staff strength.
He added that although the service has suffered some brain drain, its numbers have not been affected.
“Yes, we have lost experienced hands and skilled staff, but we have also instituted measures to ensure that in the next two years, we replace them through training programmes and recruitment,” he stated.
Dr Kuma-Aboagye, who disclosed this during the Minister’s Press Briefing in Accra last Thursday, stated that last year, the service lost about 525 nurses to brain drain, adding that the service has begun replacing these numbers.
He disclosed that maternal mortality, neonatal mortality and under-five mortality have all decreased dramatically over the years, adding that Ghana’s institutional maternal mortality had dropped from 875 deaths in 2018 to 809 in 2022.
Dr Kuma-Aboagye said the public health emergency response system has also improved in response to new and re-emerging outbreaks such as Marburg, Lassa fever and Yellow Fever.
‘’Currently, we have been able to establish e-surveillance which enables us to collect and share information to about 70 per cent of our points across the country to enable them to respond quickly to emergencies and outbreaks at all levels,’ he added.