Kumasi, June 19, GNA - Otumfuo Osei Tutu II, Asantehene, has underscored the need for the nation to make a conscious effort at focusing and promoting preventive health care. He said stakeholders in the health sector should always be on the offensive in the fight against filth, diseases and environmental degradation, instead of waiting for the situation to get out of hand before voting a chunk of funds to address these challenges. Otumfuo Osei Tutu made the call at the opening session of the Ninth Quadrennial National Delegates Conference of the Health Services Workers' Union (HSWU) of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in Kumasi on Thursday.

The event is being held on the theme "Labour and Management Relations in promoting quality health care: Achievements, Challenges and Prospects, 50 years and beyond".

The Asantehene noted that preventive health care was necessary to help the nation save some capital and resources for the development of the other sectors of the economy for an accelerated growth. He expressed his concern about the recent global economic hardships and food crisis and said this called for an emergency plan by government to improve on the working conditions of Ghanaian workers as well as their livelihood.

He observed that without such a plan in place, workers would continue to suffer untold hardships, which could have a multiplying effect on their performance.

On management-labour relations, Otumfuo Osei Tutu urged administrators in the health sector to always accord their subordinates the needed respect to foster good working relations for increased productivity. Major Courage Quashigah (Rtd), Minister of Health, indicated that government was working hard to address the brain-drain phenomenon, and that, as a result of this, the nation was collaborating with some identifiable countries with the intent of instituting comprehensive measures to improve on the situation.

He said as part of the plan these countries were supposed to pay some sort of compensation to the Ghanaian government to help make amends for the loss suffered by the nation in the event of health workers migrating to these countries.

Mr Gameli Akoto, General Secretary of the HSWU, advised members of the union to uphold the code of ethics of their profession for sustainable development of the health sector.