School Health - GHS NGO to collaborate

Winneba (C/R), Feb 5, GNA - The Awutu-Effutu-Senya District Directorate of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), has stressed it commitment to collaborate with Plan Ghana, an NGO and the Ghana Education Service (GES) to ensure the implementation of the School Health Education Programme (SHEP).

Dr. G. K. Morrison, District Director of the GHS, stated this at the closing of a two-day annual Performance Review meeting for 30 Senior Health Officers, directors and officers of the District Mutual Health Insurance Scheme.

He said the GHS would this year lay emphasis on de-worming in the Programme to make children "physically and mentally sound" to pursue their studies and commended the NGO for playing an important role in SHEP and other health educational activities.

Dr. Morrison appealed to the organisation to continue and promised the District Directorate's collaboration with Plan and the GES to ensure the total success of the Millennium Goals.

He charged sectional heads and managers of health centres to adopt prudent financial practices to make their operation cost effective. Dr. Morrison urged the managers to maintain the highest degree of alertness all the time, which should be part of the emergency preparedness arrangement for health institutions and advised Medical Assistants in rural communities not to gross over the vital component of the health delivery system.

Mr. Felix Kwei-Tagoe, Chairman of the Awutu-Effutu-Senya District Mutual Health Insurance Scheme Board of Directors, stressed the need for trained healthcare providers in the district to work with management of the scheme to make it one of the best in the country. Mr Kwei-Tagoe said since clients of the scheme would depend on the providers for quality service, they should develop better and sustained relations with them.

The Board Chairman pointed out that even though the Scheme was a new policy, through hard work and unity of purpose from healthcare providers, directors and managements it could achieve its goals. He advised health workers not to play politics with the scheme since that would militate against its development. 05 Feb 06