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Capacity building is essential to healthcare regulations in Ghana- Dr Daniel Asamoah
A Health Inspector and a Public Health specialist at Health Facilities Regulatory Agency (HeFRA) says it is prudent for healthcare regulators to build their capacity to have the needed skills and knowledge to ensure health facilities acquire the required materials, tools and equipment to carry out their duty of offering the utmost care for the public.
According to him, such capacity building will upgrade their academic qualifications, right training in the skills and knowledge needed.
He made these revelations when speaking to Ghanaian Times after earning a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in Public Health from the Livingstone International University of Tourism Excellence and Business Management(LIUTEBM) in Lusaka, Zambia.
His dissertation was titled, “Healthcare Facilities Regulations in Ghana: Compliance and Challenges.”
“I have vast expertise and innovative approach to addressing key issues in Ghana’s health sector and my research is expected to contribute significantly to regulate healthcare and regulations including public health policy in Ghana and beyond,” he told the Ghanaian Times .
Work at HeFRA
Despite being a gospel artiste known in the Showbiz circles as ‘The Singing Prophet’ , Dr Asamoah has built a reputation as a respected professional in health regulations, healthcare facility establishment in the country and developed standard operating procedures for monitoring unit in HeFRA and other healthcare facilities.
“At HeFRA ,I created a database for all health facilities for the agency, reviewed all old files under the private hospitals and maternity home board and migrated them onto HeFRA while also developing the first version of the inspection and monitoring visit forms for the agency,” he said.
Way Forward
Dr Asamoah noted that he remains a strong force in health regulations and will continue to contribute and seek the best healthcare facilities for the country and beyond.
Other awardees
Eleven other Ghanaians also received their PhDs at the event .
They are Dr Jennifer Andoh, Dr Mabel Afi Togbe, Dr Catherine Armah, Dr Gifty Dede Mateko Angmor , St Augustina Ampah and Dr Hafez Adam Taher ,PhD in Public Health.
In Accounting and Finance, Dr Felix Ahima-Adonteng bagged the enviable title, while Dr Raphael John Marfo was awarded PhD. in Management.
Dr Isaac Setordzi and Joseph Okine also received their PhDs in International Business and Project Management, respectively.
By Edem Mensah-Tsotorme
Mr. Alfred Nii Kotey Ashie, the Member of Parliament for the Odododiodioo Constituency in the Greater Accra Region, has assured the Accra Street Academy of his support in achieving its mission of uplifting vulnerable children within the community to break the cycle of poverty. “Without the needed support, your efforts may go round in circles due to the enormity of the task. This should not be left on the shoulders of the Academy alone. You need support from both government and the private sector. With that, the Academy would be in a good position to shape the future of these children on the streets,” he said.
The Accra Street Academy, originally formed in 1985 as a boxing arena, now serves as a school for deprived children, with most of its population numbering hundreds of pupils being neglected children from the streets of Jamestown and its environs. Mr. Alfred Nii Kotey Ashie made these remarks at the annual stakeholders’ meeting and fundraising event held over the weekend under the theme “Empowering Street Children: Health and Wellness.” The event is one of the Academy’s annual programmes, organized to raise funds and other forms of support to aid the school in catering to the needs of the children and holding its Christmas get-together.
According to the MP, it is worth noting that these children are taught and provided with two meals and a snack daily through the support of benevolent members of society. In view of this, he promised to facilitate the acquisition of documents needed for the construction of an Astroturf within the school’s premises. He noted that “every child has the right to play, and therefore I pledged to do my best to secure the needed documents” for the project to commence.
The legislator disclosed that over the years, the academic programmes of the Accra Street Academy have transformed children surviving on the streets into successful adults. He therefore urged other members of society to partner with the school to “help pupils rise higher for a better Ghana.” In the 2025/26 academic year, 22 pupils were absorbed by the Accra Metro Education Directorate as they transitioned into various Junior High Schools, while still returning to the Accra Street Academy for academic support.
Ms. Yvonne Abba-Opoku, a chartered governance advisor and senior executive in the nonprofit and charity sector, stated that the best gift to give a child was education.
By Spectator Reporter
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Mrs Regina Kudom, Senior Midwifery Officer at the New Atuabo Health Centre in the Tarkwa Nsuaem Municipality, has urged expectant mothers to attend antenatal clinic regularly for safe delivery.
She revealed that “in Tarkwa and its environs many pregnant women prefer staying at prayer camps, we are not against that, you can be there, but when your time is up for your antenatal session make sure you attend.”
Mrs Kudom gave the advice when the Gold Fields Ghana Foundation (GFGF) observed the World Prematurity Day with pregnant women at New Atuabo, Huniso and Awudua health centres.
World Prematurity Day falls on November 17, every year, and it is celebrated to raise awareness about the challenges faced by pre-term babies and their families.
She said research suggested that sex during pregnancy could soften the cervix and potentially aid in labour preparation.
“That is the reason why we encourage pregnant women to have sex with their partners, if they do not have any health implications,” she added.
Mrs Kudom appealed to the GFGF to upgrade the New Atuabo health centre as the current structure was too small because they received many patients daily.
Madam Ayishetu Mohammed, Project Coordinator for GFGF, explained that they received donations from Project C. U. R. E and the items were given to health facilities in their operational area.
She stated that they noticed there were baby dresses, sanitary pads, and baby apparel, so they decided to distribute them among expectant mothers in three of their host communities.
Madam Mohammed said because the foundation was interested in preventive care, they brought a midwife from the Tarkwa Mine hospital to educate the pregnant women.
She extolled the midwives in New Atuabo health centre for the education they gave to the pregnant women and implored them to heed to the advice given during antenatal visits to reduce maternal deaths in the Tarkwa Nsuaem and Prestea Huni-Valley Municipalities.
Mr Paa Kwasi Egan, Deputy Chief Physician Assistance, emphasised that a pregnant woman being anemic meant she was not eating a balance diet, and added that, “Some of these women do not have money to buy food or visit antenatal clinics.”
He said when men follow their wives for antenatal visits, they would be educated extensively on why they should provide funds for their pregnant wives.
Mr Egan, therefore, encouraged all men to be involved in their pregnant wives’ antenatal care appointments so they could learn more about pregnancy, childbirth, and parenting. – GNA
