Unregistered health facilities in Ashanti to be closed by March next year
The Health Facilities Regulatory Agency (HeFRA) has served notice that it will close down all unregistered health facilities in Ashanti region by March, 2022.
Mr. Seidu Inusah Rashid, the Regional Representative of the Registrar of the Agency, who announced this, said it formed part of efforts to sanitise the health ecosystem in the Region.
He was speaking at a media briefing in Kumasi as part of activities marking the 10th anniversary celebrations of the Agency.
Established in 2011 by the Health Institutions and Facilities Act 829, the Agency is mandated to register, licence and monitor activities of all health facilities in the country.
Mr Rashid said his outfit was taking steps to weed out quack medical officers and facilities in the Ashanti Region to ensure facilities in the Region were of high standards and could guarantee the safety of their clients.
“HeFRA has grown from not having concrete data on facilities in the country to now having credible and reliable data of all facilities in all the regions that USAID, UNICEF and the MOH can now rely upon for major decision-making, “he stated.
He said the Agency as part of efforts to ensure efficiency in its operations, had digitalised all its processes to enhance engagements with its clients.
The Agency over the last ten years had raised the awareness of patient’s rights at health facilities, thereby making health workers more conscious when handling patients, he noted.
He disclosed that his outfit received seven complaints on medical negligence between 2019 and 2021, adding that all the complaints were investigated and those with genuine cases duly compensated.
He called for the support of the media and other stakeholders to sanitise the system to ensure quality services in health facilities across the country.
As part of the 10th anniversary celebrations and awareness creation about the patient’s rights, the Regional Office is organising a health walk on Saturday, December 18 through the principal streets of Greater Kumasi.
Source: GNA