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COVID-19: No bed shortage in Ghana -GHS refutes claim
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has stated that the country was yet to exceed its bed capacity for treatment of coronavirus (COVID-19) patients contrary to emerging reports of bed shortages at the centres.
“In terms of attainment of full bed capacity as a country, we can state that we have never exceeded our bed capacity as a country.
We started this process with a 450-bed capacity which has increased to 700 and at the moment, we have 71 treatment centres across the country with 21 of them, idle,” Director General of the GHS, Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye said in a statement on Wednesday.
The release which sought to clarify recent allegations that the Service was under-reporting and manipulating national data on the disease brought to light that the GHS was expanding the number of beds in Kumasi in the Ashanti Region specifically, to take care of mild to moderate cases and positive cases with co-morbidities.
“We are still not resting on our oars, we will continue to expand. We are working with the regions to increase the bed capacity for moderate to severe and critical cases. For instance, a 12-bed Intensive Care Unit wing is coming up at the Greater Accra Regional Hospital.
The largest isolation centre for those who are largely asymptomatic is the Pentecost Convention Centre located in Gomoa Fetteh with a bed capacity of 600 but as at June 16, 2020, we had 356 in-patients and the centre has never operated at maximum capacity,” the statement said.
As regards personal, protective equipment (PPE), Dr Kuma-Aboagye said the GHS had adopted systems including the “Logistic Information Management System” to monitor remotely, the availability of PPE at the district levels.
“Our concern however has been the more appropriate use of the PPE by health workers according to the level of risk they are exposed to and we are currently re-training health providers on infection prevention and control and most importantly, adherence to appropriate and consistent use of the PPE,” he noted.
The GHS in the statement explained that the recent spike in number of positive COVID-19 cases represented more of isolated reports in institutions and some localities rather than a general community spread.
While expressing concern over the trend, the release clarified that “the current number represents more of isolated spikes in localised institutions and localities and not a generalised diffused community spread.”
“It is worth noting three regions and 176 districts have not reported any new COVID-19 case in the last one week.”
Among other issues bordering on timely laboratory test results, means of discharge of recovered patients, contact tracers, safe re-opening of schools and increase in critical care staff, the GHS signalled its resolve to ensure the efficient use of resources for the overall wellbeing of Ghanaians amidst the pandemic.
“We wish to state categorically that the GHS does not manipulate the data collated from the regions. The reporting on data including deaths and recoveries at the national level goes beyond just numbers to include epidemiological and clinical states of cases and that requires a bit of more time to verify and validate.
In that context, the regional level data will normally be higher than the national data at any given time,” the Service cleared.
Pressure group, Occupy Ghana, had earlier this week raised concerns over the number of COVID-19 related deaths in the country, alleging that the government was under-reporting the death toll.
According to the group, the death toll from some regions does not correspond to the total number of deaths in the country accusing the GHS of “massaging” of numbers which could lead to mistrust among the public.
Source: Ghanaian Times
News
National Service Authority gets new Director-General
The National Service Authority (NSA) has officially welcomed a new Director-General, Ms. Ruth Dela Seddoh, following a brief handing-over ceremony at its headquarters on Tuesday.
The event marked the formal transfer of leadership from the outgoing Director-General, Mr. Felix Gyamfi, to Ms. Seddoh. Management and staff of the Authority attended the ceremony.
Mr. Gyamfi used the occasion to thank staff for their support during his tenure.
He encouraged them to give the same cooperation to Ms. Seddoh to ensure the continued growth and impact of the Authority.
Ms. Seddoh expressed appreciation to government for the confidence placed in her.
She promised to build on the achievements of her predecessor and called for teamwork, dedication and innovation to help the NSA deliver on its mandate to support national development.
Management of the Authority pledged their full support to the new leadership as the organisation enters its next phase.
By: Jacob Aggrey
News
NSA board sets up committee to supervise digital reforms
The Governing Board of the National Service Authority (NSA) has announced the inauguration of a Transition and Implementation Steering Committee (TISC) to oversee the Authority’s digital transformation agenda.
According to the Board, the move follows a letter dated 17 June 2025 from the Office of the President to the Minister of Youth Development and Empowerment directing the suspension of the existing deployment system, calling for an audit of its operations and instructing the design and deployment of a new digital platform.
The Board explained that the audit had been completed and had found the existing system unsatisfactory.
It indicated that the Minister had written to the Board to begin the necessary legal processes to ensure the contract for the audited system, which expired in August 2025, would not be renewed, and to take further steps toward designing and deploying a new digital platform that would guarantee transparency, security and real-time verification of service personnel postings.
It stressed that the TISC had been established to ensure a smooth and orderly transition from the current National Service Scheme digital platform to a new ICT-led system aimed at improving efficiency, transparency and service delivery.
The Authority outlined the Committee’s mandate as overseeing the phased migration from the legacy system, directing the design and deployment of a modern digital platform, and supervising its operationalisation across core functions including personnel enrolment, postings, payroll, allowances and scheme administration.
It further noted that acting under the directives of the Minister of Youth Development and Empowerment and deriving authority from the NSA Board, the TISC has the power to issue instructions to NSA departments and engage external partners necessary to achieve its mandate through the Governing Board.
The Authority named Dr. Wisdom Atiwoto, a member of the NSA Board and Director of Research, Statistics and Information Management at the Ministry of Health, as chair of the Committee.
Other members include Ms. Ruth Dela Seddoh, Mr. Shadrack Mensah, Ms. Elorm Goh, Mr. Benjamin Freeman Kusi, Ms. Jennifer Opong, Dr. Stephan Nwolley, Mr. Koku Abotsi, Mr. Japhet Kuntu, Mr. Nabil Abubakar Hussayn and Ms. Regina Obenewa Penrose as Secretary.
The NSA Board assured the public and stakeholders of its commitment to innovation, accountability and excellence in service delivery.
It emphasised that there would be no disruption in the fulfilment of its obligations to national service personnel as outlined in the National Service Act, Act 1119 (2024), and indicated that updates on the Committee’s progress would be communicated in due course.
With the collective expertise of its members, the TISC is expected to deliver a robust and future-ready platform that will anchor the next phase of the National Service Scheme’s operations.
By: Jacob Aggrey
