The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has launched a new strategy to strengthen primary healthcare delivery in the Builsa North Municipality of the Upper East Region.
The Network of Practice is an initiative designed to reinforce the health sector’s commitment to identifying innovative approaches that increase access to quality essential healthcare for all in the Municipality, particularly in the Kadema and Chuchuliga zones.
The rationale for adopting the Network of Practice approach is to improve health service delivery by reducing avoidable mortalities through efficient referrals and addressing access issues in communities. The Network of Practice also seeks to alleviate pressure on hospitals by equipping health centers as hubs so that hospitals can focus on complex and specialized cases amid limited resources.
Mr. Hagan Bomansaan, Municipal Health Information Officer and NOP Coordinator, in his welcome address at Kadema, noted that the Network of Practice healthcare strategy has been the bedrock of the Ghana Health Service’s approach to achieving Universal Health Coverage, which has led to significant improvements in key health indicators in the Municipality.
He said the overall goal of the strategy is to increase access to quality healthcare and population-based services for all by 2030, in line with core values such as equity, quality care, strengthened referral systems, and community engagement, among others.
Mr. Bomansaan added that the initiative reinforces the commitment of the health sector to identify innovative approaches to increase access to quality essential healthcare and population-based services for all.
Challenges
Mr. Bomansaan noted some significant barriers to service delivery in the Municipality, such as poor referral systems, inefficient provider-payment mechanisms, difficulties in tracking and following up on patients, and inadequate capacity to deliver the basic package of primary healthcare services. These challenges remain key operational issues that require redress.
In a bid to ensure maternal and infant safety across the Municipality, Pognaab Comfort Amoak (Queen Mother of Fumbisi Traditional Area_Municipal Public Health Nurse) has urged pregnant women to opt for health facility delivery instead of giving birth at home. This warning according to her comes after a comprehensive study revealed alarming complication rates associated with home births.
Pognaab Comfort Amoak, encouraged women to always deliver in hospitals and to seek medical attention early when they fall ill.
Source: Oyerepafmonline.com/Edmond Kwaching Agwaazeh, Upper East Regional Correspondent
