By Maxwell Awumah
Ho, Aug 24, GNA – The Volta Regional Health Directorate has been adjudged one of the best-performing regions by the Ghana Health Service under the 2023 Peer-led Holistic Assessment, scoring 3.8 out of a maximum evaluation of five.
Dr Senanu Kwesi Djokoto, the Acting Volta Regional Director, disclosed this at the Regional Health Sector 2023 Half-Year Performance Review Conference in Ho.
The two-day event is themed: “Achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) through Improved Access to Quality Primary Health Care: The Role of Stakeholders.”
He was optimistic that the score would spur them on to attain the maximum by providing quality health services towards achieving Universal Health Coverage, in collaboration with agencies and development partners.
Dr Djokoto said the conference would offer the opportunity to assess the depth and breadth of service delivery using Network of Practice, a brainchild of the region, to enhance the understanding of policy and deliberately arrest the declining vaccination coverage.
All the 18 districts had reconstituted their district health committees and held their maiden strategic meetings.
He said the region had signed its performance contract with the Director General, Ghana Health Service and completed performance engagement meetings with all management teams, first time in recent history.
The Region, in quarter four, after its conclusion of stakeholder listing and analysis, would engage the business community, district chief executives, parliamentary caucus, and citizens in the diaspora to mobilise resources to complement government’s efforts at quality health delivery, which would be led by the Regional Minister, Dr Archibald Letsa.
He indicated management’s efforts at intensifying supportive supervision and monitoring across all levels using resource-efficient means in the last quarter of the year.
Dr Djokoto commended the Directorate and partners; the Korea Foundation for International Health, USAID, WHO, CHEMONICS, Clinton Health Access Initiative, JHPEIGO, UNICEF, PATH, Global communities, MTN Foundation, the assemblies, traditional and religious leaders, for their support over the years.
He acknowledged the support of the Ghana Education Service, University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ho Teaching Hospital, Ghana Ambulance Service Red Cross, NADMO, and NHIS to ensure success.
Mr Ignatius Aklikpe, the Regional Information Officer, said three objectives constituted the milestones of universal access to quality health services.
These are reduced avoidable maternal adolescent/child deaths, disabilities, and increased access to responsive clinical and public health emergency services, which have a total of 82 indicators.
The key priorities, he said, included building the capacity of staff on reproductive and child health services: life-saving skills in antenatal skilled delivery, post-natal care, adolescent and youth development programmes and comprehensive abortion care.
Others are ensuring the availability and distribution of Family Planning commodities, intensify education on COVID-19 vaccination and other prevailing health issues using multiple channels, and strengthening collaboration with other departments.
For the way forward, integration of mental health service into general practice to facilitate the achievement of Universal Health Coverage objectives, intensifying coaching on data management or reporting, capacity building of staff, availability of vehicles to meet transportation demands, and adequate supplies of logistics and health consumables must be prioritised.
Mr Aklikpe mentioned the region’s challenges to include staff attrition to schools, difficulty in getting financial clearance, erratic and delayed supply of framework contract medicines by suppliers, and high indebtedness to suppliers.
Osie Adja Tekopr VII, the Paramount Chief of Awatime Traditional Area, and Chair of the Volta Regional Health Committee, who presided, entreated the stakeholders to first review themselves and match their individual goals with their professional goals and draw the necessary lines for progress.
“Accept your weaknesses, celebrate your successes but draw a line between personal and occupational standing.”
GNA