Ahafo-Ano North Health Directorate holds Mid-year Performance Review

Meeting

Tepa (Ash), Aug 28, GNA - The Ahafo-Ano District Health Service Directorate has held its mid-year Performance Review Meeting with other stakeholders to discuss health delivery at Tepa.

Addressing the meeting, Mr Akwasi Adu-Poku, the District Chief Executive, said the surest way of reducing poverty was through the provision of quality health care and urged Ghanaians to co-operate in the implementation of the National Health Insurance Scheme with a view to reducing the financial barriers to health services arising from the "Cash and Carry" system.

He said the government was committed to working with its development partners, the private sector, non-governmental organisations, individuals and communities to improve the health needs of all individuals.

The DCE praised the staff of the various health institutions in the district for their devotion and commitment to duty and pledged the support of the Assembly to their activities.

Dr Kofi Nyarko, Senior Medical Officer at Tepa District Hospital, announced that Out-Patient Department (OPD) attendants, which totalled 11,735 during the first half of last year increased to 12,877 during the period under review and gave the assurance that the staff at the hospital were prepared to ensure that service delivery was more responsive to the expectation of the people.

He said through its own initiative, the District Hospital with assistance from the Regional Health Service and the District Assembly was converting a mechanical workshop at the hospital to residential accommodation for seven hospital staff.

Dr Nyarko mentioned the lack of ambulance for referral cases and telephone facilities as the two major constraints at the hospital and appealed to the public for help.

Nana Adu Bobie, the District Disease Control Officer, said for three successive years, malaria continued to be the commonest cause of OPD attendance in the health institutions in the district even though people, particularly children under five, and pregnant women had access to insecticide treatment nets.

Apart from malaria, he mentioned cough or cold, diarrhoea, rheumatic pains, home occupational accidents, Buruli Ulcer, anaemia, intestinal worms, acute urinary infections and pregnancy related complications as the top 10 diseases reported at the health institutions in the district.

Ahafo-Ano North District with a population of 82,248 has one district hospital and four health centres being manned by four medical officers including two Cuban doctors, two medical assistants, 23 nurses and 44 para-medics. 28 Aug. 04