The Healthcare Federation of Ghana has urged private health service providers to take advantage of the current technological advancements to improve services to their clients. The Federation noted that the wave of digital transformation globally was revolutionising various industries, hence it was imperative for the private health sector to adapt it in earnest. The private health service providers have no option than to adopt the digital health practices, involving the digitalisation of business processes thus allowing patients to exchange personal health data to foster data-driven decision-making. Dr Maxwell Antwi, the Country Director of PharmAccess Group Ghana and Board Member of the Healthcare Federation of Ghana, made the call at a cocktail in Accra on Friday. Unity in diversity should be a guiding principle for the growth of every Association, he stated. 'Digital transformation, data connectivity and personal data exchange are transforming many industries globally, but health is left behind,' Dr An twi said. He cited various technological advancements in the telecommunication industry mentioning P and T, the town postmaster, mobitel sim card, CDs and DVDs, which were currently out of the system. He said adopting digital health and digitalisation of business processes would create an enabling environment for patients to exchange their personal health data and position their businesses on the right track. 'If you cannot stop the storm, adjust your sails. Come under one umbrella and ride on one elephant,' Dr Antwi advised. Sharing his thoughts on policy-making and implementation processes in the country, he said the health sector alone contributed about five per cent to Ghana's GDP and 20 per cent to GDP growth, hence it deserved a seat at the political table. 'It is said that if you are not around the table then you are on the menu to be eaten. Therefore, it is better to be around the table to be heard and listened to. The best option is to be the chef in the kitchen who prepares the menu,' Dr Antwi added. He charged private health providers to be at the centre of influencing health agenda for politicians, especially as the 2024 Election approaches, adding; 'It's crucial to be part of Manifesto discussions'. Dr Lynda Ajoa, the First Vice President of the West African Private Healthcare Federation, expressed concerns about the existing state of healthcare delivery in Ghana. She noted that the absence of affordable financing for private health providers hindered the quality of healthcare delivery, thus impeding the realisation of the Universal Health Coverage. She, therefore, appealed to the Government to consider lowering the interest rates to enable companies access affordable loans to ensure quality healthcare delivery. Dr Samuel Donkor, the President, Pharmaceutical Society of Ghana, expressed the Association's readiness to partner with the private health service providers to improve the quality of care to patients. The Healthcare Federation of Ghana is the country chapter of the Africa Healthcar e Federation affiliated to the African Union. It comprised regional federations; West Africa, East Africa, Central Africa, North Africa and Southern Africa federations. Source: Ghana News Agency Recourse to internal and external debt remains a short-term solution to enable the state to meet its commitments, particularly the repayment of loans estimated at nearly 25 billion dinars, Finance Minister Sihem Namsia said. During a plenary session held on Saturday, where she presented explanations to the questions raised by the MPs during the general debate on the draft state budget, the economic balance and the 2024 finance law, the minister added that the recourse to short-term debt is a solution to enable the state to meet its commitments. These are related to the repayment of loans, salary expenditures and subsidies for basic products, social transfers and hydrocarbons. She pointed out that fiscal resources are important for achieving public financial sustainability, and stressed that the draft budget for 2024 provides for the improvement of budget revenues in order to control fiscal balances. Namsia stressed that the draft budget aims to preserve public financial sustainability, pointing out that t he government will work, within the framework of supporting the state's own resources, to achieve revenues of nearly TND 49,160 million dinars, an increase of 8% compared to the updated results for 2023. "These own resources, which are one of the pillars of the control of public finances and the reduction of the level of budget deficits and therefore the reduction of financing needs, will come mainly from tax revenues, estimated at 44,500 million dinars or 88.9% of own resources in 2024,» she said. Responding to MPs' questions on whether the draft was an identical copy of previous drafts, the Minister said that the preparation of the draft budget was based on the legal rules and frameworks and on the application of the main budget law. She pointed out that the assumptions in next year's draft budget had been adjusted on the basis of technical-scientific studies as well as the expectations of international organisations, such as the assumption on the oil barrel price. Source: Agence Tunis Afrique Presse