 A critical look at Ghana economy and the increasing of loans from all over the globe does give a hint that our economy lack certain elements of an effective comprehensive audit.

 Let conduct a SWOT analysis (audit) of our Health Care System for example.

What are our strengths; -

? Well trained qualified doctors and nurses

? Excellent medical professionals ? Excellent other health related professionals ? Fix assets, solid hospital buildings, ? Excellent Primary Care (Polyclinics)

What is our weakness: --

? D dilapidated hospital buildings with little or no maintenance

? Low moral of staff

? Poor hospital equipment and outdated

? Lack of a general renovation or make over to of hospital building line with modern development of global hospitals

? Lack of opportunities for staff

? Lack of child protection training for staff dealing with children and families.

? Lack of regular maintenance of the general surroundings of the hospitals

? Lack of proper usage of the hospital and training facilities

? Lack of innovation on the part of management as to a creative ways of income generating scheme other than the government?s own

? Lack of valuing the lack that staff have and enriching those skills

? Lack of recognition of made by staff to improve the service delivery

? Slow to catch up with development and current trends

? Lack of customer training to front line staff particularly the principle of customer care

? Does Ghana have a speech therapy department

? How effective is our physiotherapy department? Are they economical and self- financing?

? How is public health service working? Are their service cost effective and how could we explore other revenue generating activities/

? Each sector of the health service may need to undergo such audit to foster a rethink of the system.

? Please do include the general public the service users not just managers deciding the future of our Health Service.

Opportunities waiting to be explored: -

? Scanning the globe and see what other players in the medical world i.e. South Africa, India and others are doing these days.

? It appears medical tourism is in the thing currently which Ghana have not explored at all

? This tourism would earn the Ghana Health service all the money needed to renovation its major hospitals as well as the polyclinics.

? Nurse?s homes and Doctors vacant doctor?s flats could be let out to foreign health professionals in the country or a link up via the Internet could be explored for this group to book up and visit Ghana staying in these accommodations. Money generated could be used in renovating most nurses? homes in every region if this scheme is made national. Many people in the Western world would like to top up their skills in developing countries yet we have failed to tap into this market to our advantage.

? Create a website to encourage young doctors and retired health professionals to come in and live in a secured accommodation within the hospital grounds and take up relevant post of their chose adding an extra dimensions to our service delivery.

? These groups of people are coming into the country only to teach our health professionals the trick of the trade but also to give Ghana Health Service that credibility for our growth and development in this area.

? Many retired health professionals are simply waiting for such calls to respond to?

? Create research and development linking many African and developing as well as the development in a form of a net work and pull together resources from all over the globe to form this unique knowledge pool.

? Encourage Ghanaians in Diaspora willing to give something back into their community via the Minster for the Diaspora to engage them to make the contact. Our system needs to be very flexible and accommodating for them to work effectively.

? Link up with the developed countries to send medical students or for an 8 weeks crush course for topping up experiences. Alternatively the Ghana health service could charge these group about ?5,000 to include fares, board and lodging and the usage of the hospital with one or two trip to Aburi garden and Kakum Park to complete the package.

? The package could offer flexibility for medical students or young doctors to the opportunity to work in the regions, towns and villages that would also fetch perhaps an added ?1000. Making the flexibly package to a grand total of ?6000 each. If more of such group come in guess how much money Ghana would have renovating all our medical schools, updating them with all the modern equipments.

? Each sector of the health service may need to under measures explained.

Treats: --

? There are already other players in the field however the Minister of Health may need to encourage such move to save Ghana?s economy and the target our vulnerable unable to pay their hospital bills.

? Ghana needs to get in to the Medical Health Market now. As we have no time to wait and see

? Ghana need to diversify their health service delivery and embrace the alternative medical treatment by incorporating or integrating it into our health care system. For example massaging, aroma therapy, acupuncture and others in order to provide a rather diverse way of medical care to its own people and the medical tourists. ?

Let conduct an Audit of the Educational System:

What are our strengths; -

? Well educated teachers and lectures

? Well built schools building and surroundings

? Well chosen strategic areas for most secondary schools

Weakness: -

? Lack of creativity in schools curriculum for example filming, photography art and craft, sporting opportunities

? Lack of interest on the part of teacher due to poor pay and lack of motivation

? Lack of enthusiasm and interest by students

? Lack of career counselling and career pathway guidance.

? Lack of wider participation to include all youth without the proper standard of education for example (the dropouts or our street hawkers.)

? No libraries in all cities, towns and villages to ensure reading by our youths

? No museums, colleges, and free computer classes and even a free vocational opportunities for a universal growth of Ghana economy.

? Lack of work experience taster for the youth at a senior secondary level to ensure a safe transition to higher education

? Lack of respect for student as teacher have no child protection training and also empowering of student to do presentations and public speaking skills.

? Lack of drama integrated into the school curriculum and music and students could offer even student exchange programmes there the chance to live with a family for a week and that same student returning the stay in his or her region. This could be offering a taster of living in the North South. East or West.

? Ghanaians students lack the breath and depth of the benefits of our different cultures thus are narrow minded as families do not usually go on annual holidays to different parts of Ghana, or other countries.

? Students studying French could exchange a week visit in a French speaking country to enhance their competencies in the spoken language.

Opportunities

? Students? exchange programmes for gap year student. This is usually a year or six months.

? Student could be integrated into a normal school system to teach English language and maths and others areas of interest.

? Emulate existing exchange programme on the Internet and ad on or subtract activities to suit each district or community. This would generate about ?10,000 each for the full year stay or ?, 6000 for six months or ?4000 for 8 weeks each person.

? Community without boarding schools facilities may need to build a mock village even with mud. Example of a compound house could be found all over the country and a typical could be seen at Avieyme.

? These strategies would ensure that each school get an annual maintenance and update of facilities used by students. Living a healthy accounts for the school and governors with a good pay reward for school taking part in such schemes.

? Schools could be rented out for ceremonies such as weddings, concerts, christening, and church etc. There need to be a system to log every booking and money received.

? Teachers could teach foreign students in certain areas like maths, physics, chemistry etc and earn decent money in the process. So the student come for the exchange programme and depending when areas they would like to have top sessions those teachers or tutors would need to be paid well to make them feel the project is worth while.

? Customer service and child protection training need to be offered to all teachers engaged in such project to ensure satisfactory outcome.

Treat: -

There may be others players already in this market cashing in this areas however the education system would need to appreciate this and compete as there is room for everyone to make a cut of the profit available.

So this is how the system need to consider auditing each department and work in partnership with the voluntary sector, business community, various Government agencies around the globe, private individuals to find their hidden treasure and re think the way forward.

The Military, police, high way authority, Ministries, etc all need to under go such transformation in order to remain operational. Hope this helps.

Views expressed by the author(s) do not necessarily reflect those of GhanaHomePage.