For the first time in the country’s history, Ghana will have one set of uniform, consistent definitions and descriptions affecting every aspect of healthcare for its citizens.
Under the direction of the Ministry of Health (MOH), the Health Facilities Regulatory Agency (HeFRA) and its partners will lead the support of Ghana’s commitment to universal health coverage by creating a uniform set of standards for healthcare services, types of facilities, and the licensing and accreditation of those facilities. These actions will reduce inequities in healthcare while enhancing the quality and consistency of care for Ghana’s citizens.
“Quality without effective regulation is just lip service,” said Dr. Bernard Kwanin, Director, Licensing, HeFRA.
HeFRA is responsible for registering, inspecting, monitoring, and accrediting all 35,000 health facilities in Ghana. It establishes minimum personnel requirements, maintains professional standards, selects required equipment, and evaluates and approves health facilities.
The USAID Quality Services for Health (Q4H) Activity, implemented by URC, provides technical support to the Ministry and its Agencies to enhance quality government structures and coordination of services, promoting high-quality services in public and private healthcare sectors.
This initiative, delivered across the country over the next two years, provides clarity around specific services that are available at the various healthcare facilities in Ghana, including hospitals, clinics, infirmaries, and laboratories.
The plan to deploy the 50 facility types is already underway. By providing a consistent set of definitions and descriptions, HeFRA and the Ministry are taking the guesswork out of the types and quality of healthcare services citizens expect when seeking medical attention. The changes will increase the efficiency and effectiveness of care being given to citizens.
Representatives from a broad set of service providers from public and private healthcare helped create the new standardization of language, replacing various working models from the National Health Insurance Authority and the Ghana Health Service.
The Q4H Activity provided technical assistance to HeFRA and stakeholders to upgrade existing monitoring and accreditation tools to evaluate, score, and run healthcare facilities, enabling comparisons and empowering patients to make informed health decisions.