The Minister for Health, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh, has announced that all health facilities operating under the Ministry of Health will be required to install Closed-Circuit Television (CCTV) systems as part of measures to improve security and protect healthcare workers from attacks.
The directive, which takes immediate effect, was announced by the minister during proceedings in Parliament on Wednesday, July 8, amid growing concerns over the safety of health professionals while carrying out their duties.
Akandoh said the installation of CCTV cameras would be mandatory across every category of health facility under the Ministry, regardless of size or location.
“As part of measures the Ministry has put in place in order to prevent or curb attacks on [health] staff, I have directed that every agency or facility under the Ministry of Health must be covered by CCTVs. Be it a CHIPS Compound, health centre, polyclinic, district hospital, regional hospital or teaching hospital.”
Akandoh further assured Parliament that the implementation of the directive would not be hindered by funding challenges, indicating that provisions already exist within the ministry’s approved budget to support the initiative.
“We have various budget lines as approved by Parliament that will cater for this. In some cases, they can even use their internally generated funds to fund it.”
The move comes as government seeks to strengthen security across public health institutions following reports of assaults and other forms of violence against healthcare workers in various parts of the country.
The planned installations are expected to enhance surveillance within health facilities, deter criminal activities and provide evidence to assist investigations where incidents occur.
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