Functional Responsibilities
The Department will seek to develop clinical proficiency in all clinical service areas within the Ghana Health Service. It shall coordinate, supervise, monitor, and develop clinical services in the Ghana Health Service in collaboration with professional and facilities regulatory bodies as well as professional associations. A key part of the department’s function will be the assessment of training and institutional development needs consistent with emerging needs and changing national and international needs.
Clinical Services Development
- Clinical Laboratory
- Eye Care
- Dental
- Otorhinolaryngology/E.N.T
- Physiotherapy
- Dietherapy
- Catering Services
- National Prosthetics and Orthotics Centre
Clinical Laboratory
- Clinical Laboratory Services are an integral part of routine health care, medical research, and public health systems and are essential for the provision of quality health care. The laboratory therefore provides critical support to Clinicians for the diagnosis and management of diseases as well as providing support for public health in monitoring epidemics and the environment
- High quality laboratory support ensures accurate and efficient service to clinicians and ultimately to Clinical Care. Successful treatment requires correct diagnosis based on the accuracy, reproducibility and interpretation of investigations and examinations for proper management decisions. The role of the laboratory in clinical care can therefore not be underestimated
Responsibilities Of CLU
- Provide leadership for the clinical laboratories of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) in the country
- Ensure a functional quality assurance and quality control (QA and QC) systems in all GHS clinical laboratories
- Undertake monitoring and supervisory visits to health laboratories in the country (regions, districts and sub districts)
- Ensure the establishment of national data capture systems; Laboratory Information System (LIS) for reporting on clinical laboratory indicators and activities
- Facilitate the preparation of guidelines and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for laboratory services
- Provide in-service training (on-the-job and refresher training) to laboratory
Personnel
- Collaborate with Biomedical Engineering Unit (BEU) of Ministry of Health (MoH) and Clinical Engineering Unit (CEU) of GHS to ensure implementation of Laboratory equipment programme
- Collaborate with relevant programmes (NACP, NMCP, NTP, etc.) and other relevant stakeholders to improve Laboratory component of programme services Collaborate with Human Resource Development Division (HRDD) for therecruitment of Laboratory staff
- Facilitate development and implementation of the National Laboratory Strategic Plan and Policy documents
The National Prosthetic and Orthotics Centre
The National Prosthetics and Orthotics Centre of Ghana Health Service, provides rehabilitation services to physically challenged individuals within Ghana and the West African sub region. Formerly known as the limb fitting Centre, the Centre has both a prosthetic and orthotic clinic. Each of these clinics has various workshops, sections/departments through which services are provided
- The prosthetic clinic is for individuals who have survived any form of amputation. Here the clinicians together with their technologists and physical therapists assess patients, prescribe the most appropriate prosthesis, take measurements and impressions of the residual limb, design, fabricate, assemble, align, and fit prosthesis (artificial parts, mostly limbs) on patients. Upon fitting, the physical therapists take patients through various modules of gait training and exercises to help them with the use of their custom-made prosthesis.
- The prosthetic clinic provides prosthetic services mostly artificial limbs (legs and hands), custom made for the particular patient.
- Below knee prostheses – for patients with amputation through the tibia bone between the knee and ankle.
- The ankle joint, also known as ankle disarticulation or Symes amputation
- Any part of the foot.(partial foot amputation)
- Knee disarticulation or through knee prosthesis for patients with amputation through the knee
- The orthotic clinic attends to individuals who have any form of biomechanical functional deficit in any part of their body as a result of total or partial paralysis or a deformity. The aim of this clinic is to correct such deformity or functional deficit or to maintain it (prevent its progression. Over here, clinicians work hand in hand with their technologists and physical therapists, to assess patients, prescribe appropriate orthotic devices, measure, and take impressions of affected part, design, fabricate, align and fit orthotic devices on patients.
- The orthotic clinic treats people with various forms of deformities and functional deficits.
From patients with post-polio paralysis to patients with scoliosis, drop foot, club foot, neck pains (cervical injuries), various painful conditions resulting from spinal problems, different presentations of cerebral palsy, leg length discrepancy etc.
Eye Care
The Eye Care Unit, GHS serves as the coordinating unit for all eye care activities in Ghana
Core Purpose: To coordinate the provision of accessible, high quality, efficient and equitable eye health services at all levels of health service delivery system.
Dental
Ghana has an extensive rural population with a large percentage of children less than 18 years. Also, a significant percentage of urban population resides in urban slums. The extensive rural population, school children and urban poor are deprived of the very basic dental services, though there is continuous increase in dental manpower.
Portable dental units are therefore an effective and efficient way to take the dental services to the doorsteps of the rural masses, school premises and urban slums through optimal utilization of dental institutions and dentist.
Otorhinolaryngology/E.N.T
This unit provides direction and advice in the efficient management and delivery of quality E.N.T clinical care service.
O.R.L/E.N.T Mandate
- Ensure availability of E.N.T services (clinical, audiology and speech swallowing and language therapy).
- Managerial and technical support for O.R.L/E.N.T services.
Technical Service
- Coordinate and provide technical support for managing O.R.L/E.N.T clinical, audiology and speech swallowing and language therapy service in the country.
Technical Mandate
- Plan and develop systems to advance O.R.L/E.N.T clinical, audiology and speech swallowing and language therapy service in the country.
- Education/ CPD.
- Public education.
- Contribute to Manage effectively O.R.L/E.N.T clinical, audiology and speech swallowing and language therapy Human resource distribution in the country.
- Provide intersectoral partnership to improve O.R.L/E.N.T services.
Physiotherapy
Physiotherapy also known as Physical Therapy (PT) is concerned with human function, movements and maximized potential from the newborn baby to the aged throughout their lifespan.
Physiotherapy uses physical approaches to relieves pain, aids recovery, restore physical, psychological, and social well-being and also to prevent and maintain good healthy lifestyle.
Mandate and Responsibilities
- Facilitate the development of policies, guidelines, protocols, and standards for physiotherapy service.
- Development of strategic plans for physiotherapy services
- Undertake monitoring and supervision visit of physiotherapy departments in the regional and districts hospitals.