Accra, May 17, GNA - Major (rtd) Courage Quarshigah, Minister of Health on Wednesday tasked health workers to abide by the Oath of their profession by attending to their duties with diligence, courage, compassion and trustworthiness.

He said the Oath represented their pledge toward quality health care delivery at all times despite the challenges of the time. Speaking at the 38th General Council Meeting of Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) on the theme: "Witnessing Christ in The Healing Ministry II," Major Quarshigah noted that the life of the individual was a major priority in the practice of the medical profession rather than procedures and formalities.

"It is a sad commentary that today, we see patients suffering unduly because of our insistence on going through the normal of process of accepting patients even in emergency cases", he said. He said much as it was important to diagnose and prescribe medicine, it was more essential for practitioners to engage patients in counselling on good nutrition, personal hygiene and environmental sanitation in order to ensure that death caused by preventable disease were curbed.

He said this was the new paradigm shift in health delivery and tasked Christian health workers to champion and defend this paradigm to actualise quality health provision.

The Minister urged the workers to exhibit extra commitments toward their work since they represented the Ministry of Christ and their attitudes might encourage others into the Ministry. He cautioned them never to allow racial barriers, religious affiliation, sex or colour to serve as deterrents in the discharge of their duties to the people.

Dr. Albert Quainoo, Chairman of the executive Board of CHAG announced the development of the Administrative Instructions Document to guide the implementation of the memorandum of understanding, which was signed, between CHAG and the Ministry of Health in December 2003. He further noted that CHAG's relationship with the Ministry of Health had seen significant improvement unlike the uncertain relationship that existed previously.

Dr. Quainoo said the there were numerous complaints about National Health Insurance tariffs charged by CHAG, which was generating unfortunate remarks from officialdom. He said CHAG was ready and willing to review the tariff structure with the National Health Insurance Council.

Rev. Pastor Samuel Adamah Lami, President of the Ghana Union-Seventh Day Adventist Church called on the Ministry of Health to increase it budgetary allocations to CHAG in order to meet the demand for new strategies in the health sector to achieve good results. He said the Medical Ministry should be used to break barriers and difficult grounds in order to spread the gospel. "Never should the sick and the needy leave our walls worse off. Workers in our institution should see themselves as a team of evangelists for God", he said. 17 May 06