Health Minister to prioritise CHPS compounds

Dr Kwaku Agyeman Mensah, Minister of Health, has pledged to make the upgrading of Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds in the rural areas his utmost priority.

This, he said is a foremost goal to be implemented to promote better health delivery system in the country. He said the CHPS compound, which serve as a bedrock to people in the remote areas need adequate attention to be positioned on a high pedestal as that of the big hospitals.

“As an intervention trying to promote and help people access better medical services efficiently especially in the rural areas, is high time Ghana as a country, leaders and all stakeholders collaborate to work hand in hand in promoting the CHPS compounds for not only the poor but the rich also,” he said. Dr Agyemang Mensah made this known on Monday when he embarked on his maiden four-day familiarisation tour to some health facilities in Accra.

Among the places the minister visited included Ghana Health Service (GHS) Head office, Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital and National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA). Mr Sylvester Mensah, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of NHIA interacting with the minister noted that the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) over the last few years had seen significant growth.

He said the number of people who visit the various hospitals across the country had increased several fold. Mr Mensah said last year, out-patient utilisation of the NHIS rose to 27.4 million from 16.6 million in 2009 and 597,000 in 2005.

He noted that the NHIA had paid GH? 748 million in claims in 2013 as compared to the GH? 362 million in 2009 and GH? 7.6 million in 2005. On capitation, the CEO of NHIA explained that is was an additional payment system in which all service providers in the healthcare delivery system were paid an advance of predetermined fixed rate to provide a defined package which made up 22 per cent of the NHIS services.

He said under the ministry of health’s oversight, the NHIA is extending capitation to three more regions in the second phase of the implementation namely the Upper East, Upper West and Volta Regions.

During an interactive session between the minister and directors as well as staff of GHS, Dr Ebenezer Appiah-Denkyira, the Director General, noted that as a result of inadequate fund there are stagnation problems associated with the achievable goals of Millennium Development Goals 4 and 5.

He said GHS is focusing on collaborating with stakeholders to make health delivery conducive for all, especially in the area of resourcing research centres, rehabilitation of basic equipment and regional health stores.

At Korle Bu Teaching Hospital, Dr Samuel Asiamah, Acting Chief Executive Officer, called for more pragmatic measures in curbing the cholera outbreak. “Since July, cholera outbreak has been on the increase and interfering with other cases, so there has been the creation of a parallel system where dedicated staff will be put at the forefront to address cases,” he said.

He said as part of measures put in place to quarantine cholera cases, a new emergency centre had been set up with built in isolation award to save lives. He appealed to the minister for the expansion of a recovery ward for maternal cases including the completion of the ultra-modern emergency centre as well as the provision of valuable equipment for the running of the Korle-Bu theatre.