By Maxwell Awumah
On June 1, the GNA reported that the Ninth JEAM Leadership Lecture Series, honoring the late President Professor John Evans Atta Mills—founder of the University of Health and Allied Sciences (UHAS)—took place at its principal campus in Ho.
The event was centered around the theme, “Enhancing Quality Healthcare Systems in Ghana Despite Global Upheavals.”
The Leadership Lecture series was established by university administrators with the aim of motivating students to strive for greater achievements and fostering mentoring programs designed to enhance the capabilities of both students and healthcare professionals. These initiatives encourage participants to contemplate fundamental principles and ethical standards central to their professions.
Dr. Sodzi-Tettey, CEO of the National Vaccine Institute (NVI) and guest speaker for this year’s lecture series, mentioned that Late JEAM is widely regarded as an academic icon, an outstanding statesperson, a political leader, and a renowned figure in both Ghanaian and global legal and tax matters. Known for his foresight, he founded UHAS back in 2011.
He mentioned that UHAS has flourished despite early doubts and continues to produce high-quality healthcare experts. It also draws distinguished faculty members and leading scientists from around the globe.
President John Mills embodied such leadership qualities when he established UHAS as the leading higher education institution dedicated to training healthcare professionals in Ghana. He firmly believed in this vision, especially concerning the aspirations of young people.
Today, the guest speaker highlighted that there is no question about UHAS achieving its intended purpose. As President Mahama mentioned some years back, “The vision of Prof. Atta Mills has come true.”
He urged the leaders of the continent to follow the example set by President Captain Ibrahim Traoré of Burkina Faso, whose achievements are rising both within Africa and internationally. He stated, “The continent desperately needs resilient yet modest leaders with integrity, who put national interests first.”
Regarding this topic, Dr. Sodzi-Tettey mentioned that recent disturbances in global health financing pose a threat to quality healthcare systems, as of May 9.
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This year, approximately 176,818 job losses have been reported worldwide due to various interruptions affecting global healthcare sectors.
He mentioned that extensive studies aimed at “enhancing the standards of healthcare and pediatric services along with upgrading the training of health personnel” have been discontinued as a consequence.
By 2030, Ghana is set to leave the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunization (Gavi) because the country will have moved into the category of lower-middle-income nations.
He stated that Ghana needs to provide $51 million each year to finance vaccine purchases under the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI). He noted that major organizations such as the World Health Organization (WHO) and The Global Fund, which primarily support initiatives against HIV, tuberculosis, and malaria, could face significant repercussions affecting not only Africa but also regions worldwide.
He mentioned that an international Health Regulatory Group collaborated with Ghanaian specialists and additional collaborators to carry out a comprehensive joint external assessment of Ghana’s epidemic readiness in 2025. The evaluation highlighted both the strong points and areas needing improvement based on their findings.
Dr. Sodzi-Tettey stated that Ghana’s advantages lie in its thorough national policies, carefully devised strategic plans, and regulatory structures, along with internationally agreed treaties that have been adopted. Additionally, the country benefits from strong intersectoral collaboration mechanisms, an organized system of laboratories at various levels, focused efforts towards building up their workforce capabilities, hazard assessment procedures covering multiple risks, detailed contingency strategies for potential dangers, established nationwide immunization initiatives, and effective emergency vaccination drives.
The system’s shortcomings included uneven implementation of rules and guidelines, inadequate intersectoral cooperation, inefficient distribution of financial resources across sectors, significant dependence on outside funding from donors, insufficient staffing levels coupled with difficulties retaining personnel, deficiencies in lab capabilities and diagnostics at peripheral facilities, fragile information management infrastructures, sparse international partnerships, and nascent strategies for managing risks and engaging communities effectively.
Dr. Sodzi-Tettey, who also serves as the Vice President for Global Delivery at the Institute for Healthcare Improvement, stated that the evaluation revealed Ghana has established a strong base for health security. This enables the nation to efficiently prevent, detect, and address public health risks while supporting regional and international initiatives aimed at enhancing health security. According to him, the country has crafted thorough national policies, strategic blueprints, and regulatory structures encompassing crucial sectors like antimicrobial resistance (AMR), zoonotic illnesses, biosafety measures, food safety standards, vaccination programs, lab systems, and responses to chemical and radiological crises.
On the contrary, they observed that “Even though significant advancements have been made in health security, Ghana still encounters obstacles that impede the complete execution of essential capabilities as per the International Health Regulations (IHR)… Shortages of healthcare personnel and difficulties in retaining staff pose substantial hurdles to efficient prevention, readiness, and reaction during public health emergencies.”
There is a significant shortage of specialists, notably in fields such as radiology, chemistry, and veterinary health. This issue is exacerbated by high turnover rates in remote regions, coupled with the absence of any national strategy for rapidly mobilizing additional staff during crises.
Laboratory and diagnostic resources at lower tiers continue to be restricted, lacking adequate high-containment facilities, biosafety structures, and testing abilities for key diseases. Inefficient data systems, such as an underdeveloped national laboratory information management system (LIMS) and poor data compatibility, exacerbate challenges in monitoring and responding to outbreaks.
He pushed for swift measures to tackle these shortcomings and enhance the inadequate ability to safeguard against, identify, and react to health hazards amid worldwide upheavals, aiming to bolster the nation’s healthcare infrastructure.
Professor Lydia Aziato, the Vice Chancellor of UHAS, stated that the university is achieving remarkable progress that remains both innovative and pertinent to the vision of the late President Mills. This includes meeting current benchmarks and establishing new ones at national and international levels.
The event saw participation from Prof Kodzo Gavua, who took up his role as the newly appointed Chairperson of the Governing Council, along with Prof Fred Newton Binka, serving as the Foundation Vice Chancellor. Other attendees included members of the political elite, representatives from academic circles, and student bodies.
GNA
Maxwell Awumah/Kenneth Odeng Adade
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