GHS/JICA disseminate final report on CHPS Project

Accra, Jan. 19, GNA - The Community-based Health Planning Services (CHPS) in the Upper West Region, which ends in February this year, has helped in the reduction in infant mortality by 7.6 per cent from the 105 in 2003 to 97 in 2008.

"The CHPS project can be said to have contributed to this decline. Common health cases of malaria, diarrhoea and respiratory diseases have also reduced, while prompt and timely access to health services has improved in remote communities," Dr. Frank Nyonator, Director of Policy Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Unit of the Ghana Health Service, said on Tuesday at the final Dissemination of CHPS workshop in Accra. The Japan International Co-operation Agency (JICA) sponsored project, (CHPS) has been adopted by the Ghana Health Services as a national strategy for promoting accessible, quality and equitable services to all Ghanaians - particularly those in rural areas. JICA has provided a total 450 million yen (about 4.8 million dollars) in aid for the programme, which started in March 2006 and is supposed to end in February 2010. The project is being implemented in the region, to provide accessible and inclusive health services, to eliminate disparities in access to basic medical and health services. The health index in the region is low whilst the people are impoverished. The day's workshop would throw light on facilitative supervision that has been introduced for CHPS activities and how the relevant knowledge and skills among Community Health Officers (CHO) had improved. According to Dr. Nyonator, JICA assisted at every stage of the referral or counter referral system of the CHPS programme by providing requisite training, supplying medical equipment such as ambulances and radio communication and building capacities through technical co-operation.

Dr Alexis Nang-Beifubah, Regional Health Director, said the number of CHPS zones had increased from 24 in 2006 to 81 in 2009 representing 41.1 per cent and described it as very significant. He explained that despite the achievements chalked out, the project had gone through a series of challenges, which included slow construction of CHPS compound and slow provision of equipment to all the Stage II districts.

As a way forward, Dr Nang-Beifubah suggested the speeding up of the establishment of the 21 CHPS compound per year to enable them to have a comprehensive and effective zone, continue with the training of at least 42 Community Health Officers annually, increase the pace of community entry and provide medical equipment to improve service quality. The CHPS policy goal is to improve health status by empowering households to produce good health for wealth creation. Mr Kunihiro Yamauchi, JICA Resident Representative, noted that with JICA being the main sponsor, the project saw CHPS as the only tool in contributing to the effective, efficient and sustainable delivery of health care in the community. He suggested that data collected should be simplified to improve inter-sectoral approach collaboration and advised that the communities owned the project, which was the key to success for the community health.

The Japanese Ambassador, Mr Keiichi Katakama, explained that every one of the eight Millennium Development Goals to be achieved by 2015 was of critical importance and essential to human security. "In view of these, Japan has, in particular, placed its focus on not only advocating this concept in the international community, but also realising human security through the implementation in the field." He said the CHPS project in the region was exactly what Japan looked for as an approach to sustainable development by ensuring human security. 19 Jan. 10