By Comfort Sena Fetrie-Akagbor
Tema, Feb. 27, GNA – The Health Services Workers’ Union (HSWU) of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Ghana, has officially launched a Union Fund App aimed at providing structured financial support to its members across the country.
The initiative is designed to strengthen solidarity, enhance welfare, and secure the future of health workers within the sector.
Dr Emmanuel Lloyd Baffoe, the Chairman of the HSWU, speaking at the launch, said the fund was established to respond to the practical financial needs of members, particularly during emergencies and unforeseen hardships.
Dr Baffoe noted that as an affiliate of the TUC Ghana, the union had consistently championed improved working conditions, fair remuneration, occupational safety, and professional dignity for health workers.
“The Health Services Workers’ Union has always stood as a pillar of advocacy for better working conditions and the welfare of its members. This fund is a natural extension of that commitment,” he said.
Dr Baffoe explained that the HSWU Fund would provide structured financial assistance to members in times of distress, illness, bereavement, and other emergencies, while also supporting opportunities for growth that require financial backing.
He added that beyond emergency support, the fund would contribute significantly towards capacity building, education, and professional advancement initiatives for members.
The chairman assured members that the management of the Fund would be guided by transparency and accountability, with clear operational guidelines and strict financial oversight mechanisms to safeguard contributions.
“This fund is not merely a financial pool; it is a symbol of unity. It is an investment in one another. It is a declaration that when one member faces difficulty, the entire Union stands behind them,” he stated.
He, therefore, called on members, branch leaders, regional executives, and stakeholders to embrace the initiative wholeheartedly by contributing faithfully, supervising diligently, protecting it, and growing it responsibly to achieve its objectives.
Dr Franklin Owusu Ansah, the General Secretary of the HSWU, in a remark, called on the government, the Ministry of Health and policymakers to adequately resource the health system to meet the Abuja Declaration target and address challenges such as the “no-bed syndrome”.
Dr Ansah appealed to stakeholders to support efforts to equip the health sector with adequate logistics and human resources to complement healthcare delivery and save lives.
He also urged health workers to remain committed to professionalism and accountability and to cooperate fully with investigative bodies and policymakers to ensure positive reforms are developed and implemented in the best interest of the citizenry.
He reaffirmed that the HSWU stood for professionalism, accountability, and continuous improvement in the delivery of healthcare services in Ghana.
GNA
Edited by Laudia Anyorkor Nunoo/Benjamin Mensah