I just read the news from the Ghana Thoracic Society meeting and I am so relieved! The GHS is finally making functional medical oxygen and pulse oximeters a mandatory standard for all health facilities.

Working here in Tamale, I’ve seen too many respiratory cases—especially during the harmattan—where we feel helpless because the right equipment isn't ready or available. Dr. Ofori-Boadu is right to call oxygen an 'essential medicine.' It’s heart-wrenching when you have the skills but not the tools to save a gasping child.

With the Free Primary Healthcare Programme expanding, we’re going to see way more patients. But as a Social Democrat, I believe access is only half the battle; quality is the other. We can't just invite people to clinics if we aren't equipped to treat them. I really hope this isn't just paper talk and that the funding actually reaches our underserved districts. We need these oximeters on the ground now, not next year. What do my fellow nurses think? Are your facilities actually ready for this?