Western Region holds its third Meet-The-Press

Takoradi, July 16, GNA- Twenty-one health projects have been executed in the western region while eight others have been suspended due to the lack of funds.

Mr. Anthony E. Amoah, Western Regional Minister disclosed this at the third in a series of meet the press at Takoradi on Tuesday. Mr. Amoah said estimates for the Adobokrom, Nsawora, Asawinso health centres, Shama polyclinic and the Juaboso hospital have been submitted to the Ministry of Health at the request of the Vice President.

He said the region was expected to benefit from a total of 200 Community Health Based Planning Services (CHPS) compounds, but so far only 67 were operational.

The CHPS compound concept is aimed at bringing health care delivery to the doorstep of the people and thereby shit attention to preventive health care.

Mr. Amoah said beneficiary districts included Juaboso, Bia, Bibiani-Ahwiaso-Bekwai, Sefwi Wiawso and Wassa West. He said a series of training programmes, aimed at ensuring integrated disease surveillance to rapidly respond to the outbreak of infectious diseases; to prevent it from spreading to other areas had been held.

Mr. Amoah explained that as at June this year, the Region had recorded 50 percent coverage under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), while the Tarkwa-Nsuaem District and Sekondi-Takoradi Metropolis had recorded 60 percent coverage. Mr. Amoah said the slow rate of re-imbursement by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA), was a major challenge facing the scheme and the service providers.