Introduction
The 6th Governing Council of the GHS will be embarking on a familiarization to the regions to ascertain the challenges affecting service delivery at all levels to see how best they can come up with practicable solutions and policies to address those challenges on the ground.
The first round of the visit will take the Council which is divided into teams to Savanna Region and Northern Region for the first team and Upper East and North East Regions for the second team.
The Upper East and North East team is made of the Council Chairman, Dr. Sefah Bediako, Dr. Benard Selasi and Mr. Martin Ankomah. The Savanna and Northern Regional Team comprise Col. Gordon A. O. Appiah, Mr. Isaac Kwesi Hammond Mr. William Frimpong Bonsu, and Dr. Patrick Kuma- Aboagye, the Director-General of the Service.
The 5-day trip will see the two council teams visiting the various Regional Health Directorates, Regional Hospitals and some selected District Hospitals, Health Centers and CHPS compounds. They are also expected to interact with various stakeholders within the Region such as Regional Ministers, Traditional, the Media, DCEs and MCEs.
The Upper East team, led by the Council Chairman, Dr. Sefah Bediako visited the Upper East Regional Health Directorate and interacted with the Regional Health Management team. From there, the team proceeded to the Talensi District, where the members visited the Gorogo Health Centre, the Wakii CHPS, and the Talensi District Hospital. A staff durbar was also held for the national and regional team to interact with the staff in the district. The Council commended the staff for their good work and promised to ensure that the identified challenges are addressed.
The Savannah team also visited the Savanna Regional Health Directorate and paid a courtesy call to the Regional Minister for Savannah Region. They proceeded to Damango Health Centre, Bole, and Sawla District Hospital as well as Doli CHPS (a model CHPS compound built by USAID). The team interacted with staff, traditional. leaders, community members, and the district assemblies in all places visited.
Regional Health Committees (RHCs) for Savannah and Upper East Regions have been inaugurated by GHS Council.
The inauguration is one of a series of events planned as part of the GHS Council regional familiarization tour.
The enabling act of GHS (Act 525) mandate the governing Council of the Service to appoint Regional Health Committees (RHCs) in each Region. The RHC is an advisory body, whose principal function is to advise the Regional Health Director in the performance of his duties.
In the Savannah Region, the inauguration of the RHC was chaired by the Regional Minister, Hon. Saeed Jibril. He charged members of the Committee to discharge their duties and mandates diligently to improve the health outcome in the Region.
The GHS Council Chairman, Dr. Sefah S. Bediakoh inaugurated the Committee in the Upper East Region.
He urged members of the committee to put in their best to support the Regional Health Director and his team to effectively deliver on their mandate.
Nana Tebalakala II, Acting President, Mo Traditional Council, chairs the Committee in the Sannah Region. He is also known in Private life as Dr. David Kwabena Mensah. In the Upper East Region, the Committeeis chaired by Madam Agnes Mariam Gumah.
On the 2nd day of the GHS governing Council’s tour to the regions, a courtesy call was paid to the Upper East Regional Minister, Hon. Stephen Yakubu. The minister expressed his gratitude to the council for taking time out of their busy schedule to visit the various levels of the Service to interact with the stakeholders. He commended the good work that the Regional Health Directorate is doing to enhance healthcare delivery in the region. He however expressed concern about refusal of doctors to accept postings to work in the region. He assured that the regional coordinating council would join hands with the GHS council to find a lasting solution to this challenge. Dr. Sefah S. Bediakoh, the GHS Council Chairman also commended the Hon Minister and his team for the strong collaboration between the Regional Coordinating Council and the Regional Health Health Directorate and urged that the cordial working relationship be sustained for the benefit of the residents in the region.
The Council team also visited the regional hospital and interacted with the health mangers and staff in the facility.
The GHS Council’s 3rd day of regional visits took them to North East and Northern Regions. In the North East Region, the council team paid a courtesy call on the Regional Minister, Hon. Yidane Zakaria and the Paramount Chief of Mamprugu, his highness Naa Bohagu Mahami Abdulai.
They expressed their gratitude to GHS Council for visiting the region and promised to continue to support the Regional Health Director and his team in their efforts to improve healthcare delivery in the region.
The GHS Council Chairman, Dr. Sefah S. Bediakoh commended the Regional Coordinating Council and the Traditional Authority for fostering closer collaboration with the Regional Health Directorate and encouraged them to continue doing so for the common good of the people in the region.
The Council team also visited the Zipline Centre at Vobsi near Walewale and also inspected ongoing health projects in the region including the construction of the Regional Health Directorate Office Complex and two senior staff residential accommodations at Gambaga as well as a GNPC 100-bed capacity hospital facility at Loagri near Walewale
The second team visited the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) to pay a courtesy call on the Regional Minister, the Northern Regional Health Directorate, the Regional Medical Stores and the Tamale Central Hospital where a staff durbar was held in their honour to discuss issues concerning the health service delivery in their communitiies
The final day of the GHS Council’s tour in the North East Region involved visits to Katigre CHPS Compound and Kubori Health Centre in the Mamprugu-Moaduri District where they met with the health staff and the community leaders. The council team also paid a visit to the Mamprugu-Moaduri District Health Directorate and inspected an ongoing construction of a hospital under the agenda 111 at a site near the District Health Directorate. The team, again, visited the Baptist Medical Centre at Nalerigu where a meeting was held with the District Health Directors and Medical Superintendent groups in the region. Finally, the team went to Walewale District Hospital, where they toured and interacted with staff at the various units of the hospital before holding a durbar with the staff.
Issues raised by the health staff and the community leaders at the various places visited included indebtedness of the national health insurance scheme to the facilities, low NHIS tariff, water supply challenges, non-mechanization of casual staff, challenges with conversion /upgrading of staff after completing further studies, staff getting stacked at remote areas, operational challenges with the framework contract, poor state of health facilities due to lack of funds for maintenance, malfunctioning of equipment, lack of official vehicles and motorbikes to support service delivery, and so on.
The Council pledged to do its utmost to ensure that the region is given the support it needs to help address the various concerns raised by the staff and the community leaders in order to improve service delivery and the overall health outcome of the region.
Oti Regional Health Committee inaugurated
As part of its familiarization tour of Oti Region, the GHS Council team led by Col. Dr. Gordon A. O. Appiah has inaugurated the Oti Regional Health Committee. The ten-member committee has Mr. Richard Attipoe as its chairman. Mr. Attipoe also serves as the north east regional representative on the Council of State. Mr. Bernard Selassie, a member of the GHS Council team and Patron for Oti Region swore in the Committee at the Regional Coordinating Council. Present at the ceremony was the Regional Minister for Oti Region, Hon. Joshua Makubu.
Members of the Regional Health Committee were charged to discharge their duties diligently. They were also charged to ensure that all the districts in the region have functional health committees. Among other responsibilities, the Regional Health Committee serves as an advisory body, advising the Regional Health Director in the performance of his functions.
The first day of the tour of the region saw the Council team visiting the Regional Health Directorate and the Worawora Government Hospital where a staff durbar was held. Later that afternoon, the team travelled to the Regional Capital, Dambai to pay a courtesy call on the Hon. Regional Minister at the Regional Health Coordinating Council (RCC) where the inauguration of the Regional Health Committee took place.
The familiarization visits of the GHS Council team, made of Col. Dr.
Gordon A. O. Appiah and Mr. Bernard Selasie Dzomeku with their support staff in Oti Region came to an end yesterday. The two-day visit saw the team visiting Worawora Government Hospital which currently serves as an temporary Regional Hospital and a courtesy call on the Oti Regional Minister at the Regional Coordinating Council (RCC) in Dambai. The team also visited the Kpasa Health Centre in Nkwanta North District where a staff durbar was held in their honor to discuss challenges associated with service delivery in the region.
The Team, again, paid a visit to Nkwanta South District Health Directorate and Hospital where it met the hospital management and staff as well as management from St. Joseph’ Catholic Hospital, a CHAG facility. The team commended the facility and District Health Directorate (DHD) for collaborating with the CHAG facility in the delivery of healthcare for residents of Nkwanta South and its environs.
The last point of call was at Jasikan district where the Council visited Ketsi CHPS Compound. A community durbar was held at the facility for the visiting Council members. Ketsi CHPS can be described as one facility that continues to enjoy the support of all stakeholders in the area including their member of Parliament and more especially the chiefs and people of Kesti.
The visit was crowned with a meeting with Municipal/ District Directors of Health Service and Medical Superintendents of Hospitals in the region.
Among the issues discussed were how best Council can come out with policy incentives that will motivate critical care staff such as medical officers and nurses to accept posting to the deprived areas. The team took the opportunity to commend the Regional Health Director and his team for their dedication and hard despite teething challenges they are experiencing. The team further promised to prioritise issues pertaining to the new regions, which include Oti region at Council deliberations so that some of their challenges can be resolved.
The 2nd day of the activities of the Council team in the Western North Region started with a courtesy call on the Paramount Chief for Sefwi-Wiawso traditional council, Katakyie Kwasi Bumankamah II. The Council team led by Dr. Sefah Bediakoh and Mr. William Frimpong-Bonsu commended the traditional authority for their strong collaboration with GHS in promoting quality healthcare for the people of the region. The chiefs were assured by the team that the Council would follow up on their concerns highlighted at the meeting to ensure that the Region receives the support its needs to help strengthen its service delivery system. The chiefs, for their part, pledged to uphold the cordial relationship that exists between the traditional and health authorities in the region.
The team proceeded to the Regional Health Coordinating Council where the reconstituted Regional Health Committee was inaugurated by Dr. Sefah Bediakoh, the Council Chairman. The 9-member committee is chaired by Dr. Kwame Afriyie with Nana Elluo Panyun III serving as a co-chairman. The Council Chairman spelt out their mandate and urged them to work hard to fulfil it to help improve the health status of the people in the region. Members of the former Regional Health Committee were honoured with a citation for their selfless service rendered during their tenure of office.
The team ended its activities in the region with visits to Sefwi-Wiaso and Bibiani Municipal Hospitals where they toured the facilities and interacted with staff in a durbar.
The Council team paid a visit to the Bibiani Hospital and Municipal Health Directorate in the Western North Region.
The team interacted with the management and staff of the facilities who layed their grievances to the Council. The staff were assured that the Council would do it best to follow up and ensure that they concerns are addressed. The staff were also urged by the team to pay attention to customer care and treat clients with respect as they would want to be treated if they found themselves in similar situation.
The Council team for Ashanti Region rounded out its two-day tour of the region with a visit to Fomena Health Centre and District Health Directorate, Akokofe CHPS in the Bosomtwe District, Bekwai Municipal Hospital and an inspection of construction works on the Ashanti Regional Hospital and Infectious Disease Treatment Centre at Sewua.
In all the facilities visited, the team met and interacted with the staff at a durbar. A number of issues ranging from human resources, medical equipment, transport, NHIS, framework contract affecting service delivery at the facilities were raised by the staff at the durbar. Dr. Sefah Bediakoh, the chairman of the Council, who led the team, assured the staff that the Council would do its best to engage the relevant stakeholders to address their concerns. He also shared with the staff the vision and the key priority of the Council.
Mr. William Frimpong-Bonsu, a member of the Council team commended the staff for their hard work, sacrifices and enormous contribution towards the substantial progress made in the health sector in spite of numerous constraints confronting their work. He was however concerned about poor customer care in some of the health facilities, which he believes, tends to tarnish the image of the Service. He reminded the staff to be mindful of the peculiarity of their profession and be guided at all times by the Service Code of Conduct. He urged them to ensure that the negative perceptions by sections of the public are corrected by making frantic efforts to improve customer care.
3rd Phase of GHS Council Familiarization Visits to Regions begins today
The 6th Governing Council of the Ghana Health Service will enter into the third phase of its familiarization visits to the Regions. This phase has two teams made up of four Council members each. One team headed by the Council Chairman, Dr. Sefah Bediako and three other members will visit Upper West and Bono East Regions whiles the second team led by Mr. William Frimpong Bonsu, will visit Ahafo and Bono Regions. Mr. Frimpong Bonsu is the regional patron for Ahafo Region on the Council. This team also includes the Director General, Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye who is also a member of the GHS Council.
As part of the visit, each team will visit a Regional Hospital, a District Hospital, a Health Centre and a CHPS Compound in their respective regions. They are also expected to interact with staff and management across the various levels of care to ascertain the challenges that they face in delivering healthcare service to their communities. These findings will inform policy formulation at the Council level.
A key component of effective service delivery at the community level is the involvement of stakeholders and as such, the team will also interact with key stakeholders in the respective regions such as the Regional Ministers, MMDCEs, paramount chiefs, assembly members and others to solicit their continuous support for health service delivery.
The five day working visit will end on Friday 24th June, 2022.
The Council team to the Upper West Region, led by the Council Chairman, Dr. Sefah S. Bediakoh, first paid a courtesy call on Upper West Regional Minister, Dr. Hafiz Bin-Salih at the Regional Coordinating Council. The Minister commended the Council members for taking time out of their busy schedules to visit the regions and engage stakeholders as well as touch base and familiarize themselves with the problems that face service delivery across the country.
He informed the team that following the operationalization of the newly built Wa Regional Hospital, healthcare delivery in the region has improved. He indicated that the Region is working on five district hospital projects as part of Agenda 111. He noted that the number of doctors in the region has increased, despite the fact that some doctors continue to refuse posting to the region. To help attract more doctors to the region, he has asked the Municipal and District Chief Executives in the Region to make residential accommodation for health professionals a priority in their development plans. The Council Chairman thanked the Regional Minister for the strong collaboration between the Regional Coordinating Council and the Regional Health Directorate in health development in the region. He emphasized the importance of continuing the relationship in the region’s best interests.
The team also paid a courtesy call on Wa Naa Fuseini Seidu Pelpuo IV, the Overlord of the Waala Paramountcy at his Palace in Wa, where various issues on how collaboration between the traditional and health authorities in the region could be more strengthened to improve healthcare delivery were discussed. The team then proceeded to Wa Regional Hospital, where they took a tour of the facility and had a durbar with the staff. The team’s first day of activity in the region ended with a meeting with members of the Regional Health Committee. Issues regarding how the Regional Health Committee could effectively deliver on their mandate were discussed.
Dr. Isaac Kwesi Hammond, the Council Regional Patron for the Upper West Region, Dr. Anthony Adofo Ofosu, the Deputy Director General of Ghana Health Service, and Mr. Martin Ankomah, the Council Secretary, are the other members of the Council team visiting the Upper West Region.
We Need Your Support and Collaboration-GHS Director General to Stakeholders in Ahafo Region.
The Council team for Ahafo Region, on their first day, paid a courtesy call on the Minister for Ahafo Region, Hon. George Boakye. The Minister commended the Director General and his team especially, the Regional Director of Health Service for their dedication and hard work. The Council team also thanked the Regional Minister for his unwavering support for the Regional Health Director and his team as they worked to overcome the challenges of establishing a Regional Health Directorate for the new region.
The team then proceeded to also pay a courtesy call on the Hwidiemhene, Nana Osuo Odumgya Appiagya Boafo. The team expressed gratitude to the Omanhene for providing the land on which the Regional Health Administration Block and two (2) housing units for the Regional Health Director and one Senior Officer are being built. The Omanhene also expressed his appreciation to the Regional Health Director for the cordial relationship between the Regional Health Directorate and his traditional council.
Hon. Anthony Mensah, the District Chief Executive (DCE) for Asutifi North District, was the next person to whom the team paid a courtesy call. The team commended him for his support for health development in the region. The DCE has embarked on various health projects, including the infrastructure the Assembly has put up at the Kenyasi Health Health Centre in preparation for it to be upgraded to District Hospital status as well as accommodation flats for staff and other CHPS Compounds that are under construction in the district.
The team also interacted with the staff of Kenyasi Health Centre, which will soon be upgraded to a Regional Hospital Status. The team ended up its activity for day one in the region with a visit to Subonpon CHPS Compound where they interrelated with the staff and members of the community health management committee.
Throughout the meetings with the various stakeholders, one phrase run through the remarks of the Council team and that is “the need to collaborate and communicate more to improve healthcare delivery in the region”.
The Council team for the Ahafo Region comprises Mr. William Frimpong-Bonsu, the Council Regional Patron for Ahafo Region, Mr Bernard Selasi Dzomeku, Mr. Franklin Owusu-Ansah and Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, the Director General of the Service.
On the second day of the Council’s visit in the Upper West Region, the team visited Sissala West District where a courtesy call was paid to the District Chief Executive, Hon. Aisha Imoru Boateng. Together with the District Chief Executive, the team proceeded to also pay a courtesy call on the Paramount Chief of the Gwollu Traditional Area. Following that, the team inspected the site for construction of a District Hospital under the agenda 111 and then went to visit Jawia Health Centre, took a tour of the facility and interacted with staff and the community members in a durbar. The team also visited Gwollu District Hospital, toured the facility, and interacted with the workers there.
The team moved from Sissala District to Jang in the Nadowli/Kaleo District where they paid a courtesy call on Naa Alhassan Kanchihee Gogoo II, the Overlord of Jang Divisional Area and also visited, toured and interacted with the staff at Jang Health Centre. The team ended the day’s activities with a meeting with the Senior Health Managers in the region including the District Health Directors, Medical Superintendents as well as the Department and Unit Heads of the Regional Health Directorate.
The Council’s visit to interact with staff stakeholders to learn firsthand about the issues affecting health delivery in the area and come up with solutions was applauded by the chiefs and the political leaders met. They also commended the Council and health authorities for numerous health interventions, programmes and initiatives implemented across the country, particularly in the Upper West Region to improve the health status of the communities.
In the interaction with the staff and stakeholders, a number of issues confronting healthcare delivery in the area were highlighted. They included challenges with water supply, medical equipment, transport, residential and office accommodations for staff, human resource (staff attrition, inadequate support staff, and limited study leave quota) and the need for expansion and upgrading of some health facilities.
The chairman of the Council, Dr. Sefah Bediakoh, pledged the Council’s resolve to engage the relevant stakeholders to address their concerns. He commended the chiefs and the people in the Upper West Region for the various health development initiatives and self-help projects they have embarked on to augment the efforts of the government in healthcare delivery in the region. He encouraged the traditional leaders and the political authorities to maintain the the strong collaboration and the cordial working relationship that have with the health authorities in the region.
Dr. Anthony Adofo Ofosu, the deputy Director General of the Service commended and urged the staff to continue with their hard work, sacrifices and commitment, which have contributed to the substantial progress made in the health sector in spite of numerous constraints confronting their work.
On the last day of the Council’s visit in the Ahafo Region, the team made up of Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye (the Director-General of the Service), Mr. William Frimpong Bonsu (Council Regional Patron for Ahafo Region), Mr. Franklin Owusu Ansah (Council Member), and Mr. Selassie Dzomeku (Council Member) visited Sankore Health Center.
The Council pledged to work with the Hon. Regional Minister to improve the Health Center’s facilities and human resources to enable it to be upgraded to a polyclinic status.
The team also paid a courtesy call on the Goaso Manhene, Nana Kwasi Bosomprah. Council members praised the traditional leader for his continuous support to the Health Sector especially the Goaso Municipal Hospital which now serves as the Ahafo Regional Hospital. The Omanhene also commended the health workers at the Municipal Hospital for their dedication, commitment and hard working. He pledged to continue to do his best to support the Hospital to secure its land for any future development.
The team then proceeded to the Goaso Municipal Hospital, where a durbar was held for the team to interact with the staff there. Among the objectives of the Council’s visit is to interact with staff to gain a better understanding of the challenges in health delivery on the ground to inform decision making at the council level
The Council team led by Dr. Sefah Bediakoh, the Council Chairman arrived at Kintampo in the Bono East Region on Wednesday, 22nd June, 2022 to commenced its two-day working visit in region They were received on their arrival at the Regional Health Directorate in Kintampo by the Regional Health Director, Dr. Fred Adomako Boateng and his team. The trip forms part of the nationwide familiarization visits being embarked on by the Council Members to get themselves abreast with challenges facing healthcare delivery at the various service levels to enable them make informed decisions at the Council level.
The council team for the Bono East Region, led by Dr, Sefah Sarpong Bediakoh, the Chairman of the Council, began their tour of the region by paying a courtesy call on the Regional Minister, Hon Kwasi Adu Gyan, and inaugurating their newly formed Regional Health Committee at the Regional Coordinating Council.
In his welcome address, the Hon. Minister commended the Regional Health Director, Dr. Fred Adomako Boateng and his team about their proactive approach to keeping his office constantly updated on health issues including the COVID-19 situation in the region and the steps being taken to address it. He also expressed his gratitude to the Council for not being an arm-chair council, but moving round the country to interact and familiarize themselves with health managers, staff and other key stakeholders to gain a better understanding of the challenges confronting health care delivery at the base to inform policy decision He wished the team well as they tour the region.
On behalf of the Council, Dr. Bediakoh thanked the Hon. Minister for warm reception received by the team and for his office’s close collaboration with the Regional Health Directorate. He advocated that the cordial relationship should be sustained and further enhanced for the benefit of the good people of the Bono East Region.
In his address to the members of the Regional Health Committee, Dr. Bediakoh called on them to provide the Regional Health Director the support and the advice he would need to enable him discharge his duties effectively to help in improving the health status of the people in the Region. The nine-member Health Committee has Dr. Baffoe Gyan, the Head of Cardiothoracic / Vascular Department of University of Ghana Medical Centre as the Chairman of the Committee.
Holy Family Hospital, which currently serves as the Regional Hospital for the Bono East Region was the team’s next stop after the Regional Coordinating Council. From there, the team moved to Nante CHPS Compound at the Jeman Sub-district of Kintampo South District and the went to the Regional Health Directorate and the Kintampo Health Research Centre. At each of the facilities visited, the team toured and interacted with the staff there.
In all the interaction with the staff, Dr. Anthony Adofo Ofosu, the Deputy director General of the Service and the Council Patron for Bono East Region, thanked the staff for their sacrifices and hard work particularly during the peak of COVID-19. He stressed the need for the staff to always ensure good customers services to the clients.
Later in the evening, the Council team met and interacted with the Senior Health Managers comprising District Health Directors, Medical Superintendents and Heads of Departments and Units of the Regional Health Directorate at Fall Hotel
The second day of the Council’s visit in the Bono East Region was spent at Sene East and West Districts in the eastern part of the region. The two districts are among the most deprived districts in the region. The Sene East District has three health centers at Bassa, Kajaji, and Kojokrom, but no hospital. A greater portion of the district is covered by the Volta Lake, which has resulted in the creation of a number of Islands in the district.
The team first visited the District Health Directorate and interacted with the staff there. From there, the team moved to Kojokrom, which is situated by the Volta Lake and inspected the GHS boat, which is used as a means of transport to provide outreach services to the island communities. The team also took a tour of the Kojokrom Health Centre and interacted with the staff there in a durbar. From there, the team proceeded to Kwame Danso Hospital in the Sene West District, had a tour of the facility and interacted with the staff in a durbar.
Deplorable office accommodation for staff of the Sene East District Health Directorate at Kajaji, a small and ageing boat and erratic supply of premix fuel for outreach services to the island communities, erratic power supply and lack of access to water supply for service delivery at Kojokrom Health Centre, limited study leave quota for staff, inadequate support staff and doctors and lack of residential accommodation for staff were among the tall list of challenges highlighted by the staff during the interaction with them at the various staff durbars held.
Dr. Anthony Adofo Ofosu, the Deputy Director General of the Service and the Council Regional Patron for the Bono East Region commended the staff for their hard work and commitment to healthcare delivery to the people in the area particularly the island communities despite the numerous challenges confronting them. He reassured them that the Service would not take their sacrifices for granted and that every effort would be made by the authorities of the Service to provide the needed support to help improve service delivery in the communities in order to achieve the universal health coverage without leaving anyone behind. He encouraged the staff to always treat their clients with respect and ensure good customer services.
Dr. Sefah S. Bediakoh, the Council Chairman, urged the management of the health facilities to foster closer collaboration with the District Assemblies and the community members to get the needed support to enhance service delivery in the area. He outlined some of the staff welfare programmes including establishment of staff provident fund, staff awards, staff vehicle and motorbike hire purchase scheme etc that the Council is pursuing to improve the welfare of the staff. He assured the staff that staff welfare is a key priority on the Council’s agenda and that the Council would do its best to support management to improve the welfare of the staff.
The team visited the Regional Health Directorate to meet the Regional Health Director (Dr. Emmanuel Kojo Tinkorang) and his team. Key issues impacting service delivery in the region were discussed during the meeting.
The Council team, together with the Regional Health Management team, proceeded to Kumasi South Regional Hospital, where they met with staff of the hospital to deliberate on their concerns. They then inspected the ongoing construction of the Infectious Disease Centre, which is due to be completed in two months.
An inaugural ceremony for the newly formed Regional Health Committee Members was held at the Regional Health Directorate later in the day. The members were sworn in by Dr. Sefah Bediako, the Council Chairman. He sepelt out their mandate and urged them to delivery effective on it. Nana Sarfo Tweneboah Koduah, Kumawumanhene, Chairman of the Committee, thanked the Council on behalf of the members of the committee for the opportunity to serve on the committee and to contribute their quota to the healthcare development in the region.
A durbar was held for the senior managers right after the swearing-in for Senior Managers comprising Medical Superintendents, District Health Directors, and Department in Unit Heads of the Regional Health Directorate. Challenges confronting their areas of work including issues bothering on staff welfare were discussed at the durbar.
We are here to listen to you-GHS Council to staff at Hohoe Regional Hospital
A GHS Council team made up of Col. Dr. Gordon A.O. Appiah and Mr Bernard Selassie Dzomeku has commenced a familiarization tour in the Volta Region beginning with Hoehoe Regional Hospital. This trip follows a similar one in the Oti Region, which ended on Tuesday, 31st May, 2022. Mr. Harrison Abutiate who is a regional parent for Volta Region on the Council is expected to join the team in Ho.
The Council members are embarking on the tour to get themselves abreast with challenges facing healthcare delivery at the various service levels to enable them make informed decisions at the Council level.
At Hoehoe Regional Hospital, the team was taken round some of the units including NICU, labour ward, a teleconferencing centre, construction of an accident and emergency centre and a site for a container laboratory. as well as the site for an incoming container Lab. The Hospital Management Regional Health Directorate team led the tour in the facility.
A staff durbar was also held at the hospital during which key issues bothering on staff welfare and the work environment were discussed. “We are here to listen to you so that we help in addressing the challenges you face in healthcare delivery”, Mr. Dzomeku said in his remarks. The Council pledged to do its best to engage relevant stakeholders to help address the concerns raised by the staff.
Apart from the Regional Hospital, the team is expected to visit a District Hospital, a Health Centre, and a CHPS compound during its two-day tour in the region. At each of these levels, a staff durbar and meeting with key stakeholders and opinion leaders would be held
The Western North Team led by Dr. Sefah Bediako, the Council Chairman, began their trip at Bodi with a visit to the Regional Health Directorate and inspection of ongoing projects (RHD office complex and two senior staff housing units). Following the inspection of the projects, a meeting was held with senior health managers in the region, including members of the Regional Health Management Team, Medical Superintendents, and District Health Directors. Present at the meeting were also Nana Elluo Panyin III, Chief of Sefwi Nusuasuo Kyidomhene and Chairman of Western North Regional Health Committee (RHC) as well as Dr. Kwame Afriyie, Co-chairman of the RHC.
The senior managers had the opportunity to interact with Council teams about some of the key challenges confronting service delivery in the region during the meeting. Among the challenges highlighted were low national health insurance tariff, high indebtedness of NHIS to facilities as a result of delayed reimbursement, skipped payment by NHIA, operational challenges with the framework contract resulting in shortages of essential medicines in the facilities, absence of regional medical stores, health professionals refusing postings to the region and the challenges with the posting portal at the Ministry of Health, inadequate vehicles and motor cycles for outreach services, lack of office and residential accommodation for staff. The Chairman of the Council assured the Senior Managers that the Council would engage the stakeholders and do its best to help address the concerns.
From the Regional Health Directorate, the team moved to Akontombra where they inspected a nearly completed construction of a Polyclinic Clinic under Vamed Project. The Team proceeded from Akontombra to Suaman District where they met with the staff at Kwabenakrom CHPS Centre and Dadieso District Health Directorate. The team’s first day tour in in the Region ended at Enchi Government Hospital at Aowin Municipality where they toured the facility and interacted with staff at a durbar. The Regional Health Director, Dr. Marion Okoh-Owusu, and her team at the Regional Health Directorate, as well as Nana Alluo Panyin III, Chief of Sefwi Nusuasuo and Kyidomhene of Sefwi Wiawso Traditional Council and the Chairman of the Regional Health Committee accompanied the Council team in the rounds.
2nd Round of GHS Council Familiarization Visits to Regions begins today
The Ghana Health Service 6th Council will enter into the second round of its familiarization visits to the Regions. This round will have two teams made up of four council members each. One team headed by the Council Chairman, Dr. Sefah Bediako and two other members will visit Western North and Ashanti Region and the second team led by Col. Gordon A. O. Appiah will visit Oti and Volta Region. This team will be later joined by the Director General, Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye when he returns from the World Health Assembly. As part of the visit, each team will visit a Regional Hospital, a District Hospital, a Health Centre and a CHPS Centre in their respective regions. They are also expected to interact with staff and management across the various levels of care to ascertain the challenges that they face in delivering healthcare service to their communities so that it can inform policy formulation at the Council level.
A key component of effective delivery of service at the community level is the involvement of stakeholders and as such, the team will also interact with key stakeholders in the respective regions such as the regional Minister, MMDCEs, paramount chiefs, assembly members and others to solicit for their continuous support to health service delivery. The five day working visit will end on Friday 3rd June, 2021.
