By Elizabeth Larkwor Baah
Tema, March 7, GNA-The Tema East Member of Parliament, Mr Isaac Ashai Odamtten, has in collaboration with the Tema Manhean Polyclinic, organised a public forum for residents of Manhean to address their health concerns.
Mr Odamtten said the move was to strengthen ties with the Polyclinic and help improve public health service delivery to the people.
He said the move was also to allow the community members to bring forth their challenges in accessing health care in the area for the health workers to address them accordingly.
He mentioned that as the constituency was developing, the healthcare needs of the people kept expanding; therefore, there was a need to strictly focus on building structures to meet the healthcare needs of the community members.
The MP said the provision of effective and efficient healthcare infrastructure begin with a national policy, which was then decentralised to the community level, adding that low investment from the Government had resulted in limited health facilities in the communities.
He added that an adequate health workforce was also needed to align with the health demands of the populace and to actualize the full potential of the facility by responding to the community members’ needs.
He said the initiative by former President John Dramani Mahama for the establishment of the Community Health and Planning Services (CHPS) compound, which Tema received several of them was aimed at solving the immediate health needs of the people.
Mr Adamtten said hospitals and special health facilities were also constructed during the period in various districts to handle referral cases from the CHPS compounds.
He called on community members to support the health workers to be able to discharge their duties, even though there were some challenges that the government, district assemblies, and MPs like himself were to address.
The MP explained that the annual release of GHc100,000 from the National Health Insurance Funds to the constituency or metropolis did not come to him but rather was lodged into the coffers of the Metro Health Directorate.
He said he would, however, liaise with the directorate on what to use the money for, noting that, for instance, some were used to maintain official vehicles and other health-related needs of the directorate.
Mr Odamtten said his office’s contributions to the health sector exceeded what the annual national health insurance funds could provide, adding that Manhean Polyclinic was established over 60 years ago and needed major infrastructure interventions that go beyond the funds.
Dr Sally Quartey, the Director of Health Services, Tema Metropolitan Health Directorate, said the facility had been lifted to a polyclinic status, leading to the expansion of their activities.
She said due to the proximity of the polyclinic to the sea, most of its equipment and infrastructure had been affected by the sea breeze, causing rust and damage to them.
Meanwhile, the MP donated GHC 5,000.00 to the Directorate during the forum to help run the affairs of the facility.
GNA