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334 health workers in UWR receive incentive packages
Dr Punguyire speaking at the meeting
Incentive packages to entice staff of the Ghana Health Service to accept postings to deprived areas have been instituted in the Upper West Region (UWR).
In all, a total of 334 staff serving in deprived communities in the UWR have been given study leave to pursue further training in the next academic year.
In addition to this package, some 508 clinical staff serving in various capacities in deprived areas were promoted last year to the next grade ahead of their colleagues in the cities.
The Regional Director for Health Services in the region, Dr. Damien Punguyire, speaking at the annual review meeting of the Regional Health Directorate at Wa, said the incentive systems were to attract more staff to rural areas.
The meeting brought together stakeholders to deliberate on the successes and challenges of the service in the region.
Dr. Punguyire projected that the difficulty in getting people to accept postings to deprived areas would be eliminated if staff were motivated with such incentives to help improve nurse and doctor to population ratios, respectively.
With the posting of 20 more doctors to the region, he noted that the doctor-to-patient ratio stood at one doctor to 9,897 patients and said the increase would boost healthcare delivery in the region.
Touching on the theme for the meeting, the director was upbeat about the number of pregnant women who attended antenatal care and said it had led to a decline in maternal mortalities from 28 in 2021 to 16 last year.
He mentioned that a lot more people were becoming aware of their Human Immuno Virus (HIV) status, and 88 per cent of them were undergoing antiretroviral therapy.
He said data from the region suggested that access to health services is not a problem, but the quality of the services is; hence, the focus should be on access to quality health services.
The Regional Minister, Dr. Hafiz Bin Salih, said that despite the remarkable strides made in reducing maternal and infant mortality, it was sad to know that about 300,000 women the world over died as a result of pregnancy-related problems.
He called for a responsive healthcare delivery system to augment the government’s efforts at providing the necessary human resources and infrastructure to eliminate maternal mortalities.
From Lydia Darlington Fordjour, Wa
The National Identification Authority (NIA) has temporarily suspended all date of birth changes on the Ghana Card across the country.
The suspension takes effect from Monday, November 9, 2026, and will remain in force until further notice.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Authority said the decision followed a review of its date of birth update process, which revealed the need for stronger safeguards.
The NIA said it was engaging key institutions, including the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) and the Births and Deaths Registry, to strengthen the guidelines for processing such requests.
It explained that the consultations were aimed at ensuring a transparent, credible and standardised system for handling date of birth changes.
During the suspension, no new applications for date of birth changes will be accepted or processed at any NIA office nationwide. Requests already being processed will also not be approved.
The Authority said it would notify the public once the consultations were completed and the revised guidelines were ready.
It apologised for any inconvenience caused and appealed to the public for understanding and cooperation.
By: Jacob Aggrey
The Judicial Service of Ghana has announced the suspension of the industrial action by the Judicial Service Staff Association of Ghana (JUSAG) and the Senior Staff Association of the Judicial Service of Ghana (SSAJUG).
In a press release dated November 9, 2026, the Judicial Service said the decision followed productive discussions between the leadership of the two associations and management, resulting in a mutual understanding.
It has consequently directed all staff to resume work with immediate effect, with courts across the country expected to resume normal sittings on Tuesday, November 10.
The Service expressed regret over the disruption caused by the strike and apologised to President John Dramani Mahama, the Executive arm of government, the Speaker of Parliament and Members of Parliament, the legal profession and the general public.
It particularly apologised to court users who experienced inconvenience during the industrial action.
The Judicial Service reaffirmed its commitment to ensuring the smooth and timely delivery of justice and thanked stakeholders for their patience and understanding as efforts continue towards a lasting resolution of the issues raised.
By: Jacob Aggrey
