STRUCTURE OF THE

GHANA HEALTH
SERVICE
BY: MEMBERS OF GROUP 1
ESTHER LARYEA
CECILIA ASAMOAH
DORCAS AMANOR
HENREITTA ANSAH
DINAH AKYIREFI
 BACKGROUND OF THE GHANA HEALTH
SERVICE

The Ghana Health Service is a Public Service body. It was established under Act 525 of 1996 . It is an autonomous Executive Agency
responsible for implementing national policies under the control of the Minister for Health through its governing Council - the Ghana
Health Service. The GHS does not include Teaching Hospitals, Private and Mission Hospitals. It was established as part of the Health
Sector Reform of Ghana to establish a more equitable, efficient, accessible and responsive health care service.

Their mandate:
 To provide and prudently manage comprehensive and accessible health service with special emphasis on primary health care at
regional, district and sub-district levels in accordance with approved national policies.

Their vision:
 To ensure that all communities have access to timely, quality and comprehensive health care.

Their motto:
 Your Health Our Concern.
OBJECTIVES OF THE GHANA HEALTH
SERVICE

 Implement approved national policies for health delivery in the country.

 Increase access to good quality health services.
 Manage prudently resources available for the provision of the health services.
 FUNCTIONS OF THE GHANA HEALTH SERVICE

 Ensure access to health services at the community, sub-district, district and regional levels by providing
health services or contracting out service provision to other recognized health care providers.
 Performing any function that is relevant to the promotion, protection and restoration of health.
 Manage the assets and properties of the Service to ensure the most effective use.
 Manage and administer health institutions within the Service.

 They also instill some core values in their field of work.

 They include: Professionalism, Team Work, Discipline and People-centred among others.
STRUCTURE OF THE GHANA HEALTH
SERVICE
 MINISTRY OF HEALTH (MOH)

The MOH oversees the health sector in Ghana. It provides overall leadership and direction to the health
sector and coordinates implementation of the Health Sector Medium Term Development Plan and
Programme of Work to ensure achievement of the health sector objectives. The Ministry achieves its aims
through policy formulation, standards setting, resource mobilisation and monitoring and evaluating sector
performance.
As a sector agency, the GHS executes the MOH’s policies, submit plans and budgets and periodic returns
and performance reports to the MOH. Other means by which the Ministry exercises oversight responsibility
over GHS include representation on GHS Council, performance agreements, meetings and reviews,
monitoring and evaluations and internal controls.
 GHANA HEALTH SERVICE COUNCIL
GHS is governed by a Council, the membership of which is appointed in line with the provisions of the Act that sets up the
Service. The current head of the GHS Council is Dr. Sefah Sarpong Bediako. The Council under its chairman is responsible for
directing and controlling the affairs of GHS.

Functions of the Council

 Implements the functions of the Service.
 Ensure that recommendations for health care delivery policies and programmes are submitted to the Minister.
 Promote collaborations between the Ministry of Health, Teaching Hospitals and the Service
 Advising the Minister on the qualification for posts in the Service and other matters that the Minister may request.

GHS Council Committees

 Human Resource Committee
 Disciplinary & Welfare Committee
 Finance & Budget Committee
Under the Ghana Health Service Council is the Director General (DG). He is The Chief Executive Officer of GHS. He serves
as an Ex-officio member of the Council. The Director General leads and manages the Service and is responsible for the
direction of the work as well as the day-to-day administration of the Service. In the line of his work he is assisted by the
Deputy Director General (DDG). The current Director General is Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye with his deputy in the person
of Dr. Anthony Adofo Ofosu.

GHS Executives (Management)

There are 3 levels of management under the office of the DG. They are as follows:
1. The National Level (also their headquarters).
2. The Regional Level
3. The District Level
NATIONAL LEVEL
The National level is made up of 11 Divisions, which are as
follows:

Each Division is headed by a Divisional

 Public Health (PHD)
Director who reports directly to the Director
 Institutional Care (ICD) General. The Directors supervise all the
 Policy Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation (PPME) activities of their Divisions and the Director
 Family Health (FHD) General oversees all the activities of the
Divisions of the Service including the regions.
 Health Administration and Support Services (HASS)
 Human Resource Development (HRD)
 Research and Development (RDD)
 Finance (FD)
 Stores, Supplies and Drug Management (SSDM)
 Internal Audit (IAD)
 Health Promotion Division (HPD)
REGIONAL LEVEL
Under the Regional Level, Regional Health Directorates (RHDs) are appointed to represent the administrative apex
of health services delivery at the sub-national level. The RHDs are headed by the Regional Directors of Health
Service and they report directly to the Director General just like the Divisional Directors at the headquarters. The
RHDs implement the health policies formulated by the MOH for implementation by GHS at the regional level. The
Departments at the RHDs are headed by Deputy Directors who report directly to the Regional Health Directors
through liaisons with their Headquarters Divisions.

The RHDs are sub-divided into Departments as follows:

 Regional Public Health Department
 Regional Clinical Care Department
 Regional Health Administration and Support Services Department
 Finance Department

Bodies known as Regional Health Committees are set up . They do not have executive powers like the GHS
Council. They are purely advisory bodies to support the Regional Directors.
DISTRICT LEVEL
District Health Directorates (DHDs) are established in each District of the regions. The DHDs provide leadership,
supervision, management and technical support to their sub-districts. The DHDs are headed by the District Directors of
Health Service (DDHS), who report directly to the Regional Directors of Health Service (RDHS). The DDHS are the
representatives of the DG in the Districts and champion the implementation of health policies and programmes of GHS in
the districts. At the District level, District Health Committees are set up to play advisory roles at the District level.

The Office of the DDHS is supported by the following Units:

 Public Health Unit
 Clinical Care Unit
 Administration Unit
 Finance Unit
TH
EE
ND