Gov't sincere about improving health delivery - Minister

Mr. Alfred Ekow Gyan, Deputy Western Regional Minister, on Friday said government is determined to improve health service delivery in the country.

The Minister made this known at the closing of the Western Regional Annual Performance Review Meeting of the Health sector, under the theme: “Prudence Financial Management for Effective Health Service Delivery,” at Takoradi.

Mr. Gyan said, “This is not a political slogan but a reality that the government is pursuing” and the President made bold commitments to the development of the health sector in his recent State of the Nation address to Parliament.

He said the President wants Ghana to attain the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) 4, and to actualize his belief that a healthy people are a pre-requisite and a resource for national development.

Mr. Gyan stressed that it is government’s vision to extend quality health care to all people, irrespective of one’s status in society and geographical location, and that, this involves the construction of new facilities and training of health personnel.

He said government is addressing all the concerns of health professionals, and that the Regional Coordinating Council would provide the enabling environment for health delivery and be part of the delivery process.

He said the Council is committed to mobilizing resources internally to address the concerns of health professionals.

Dr. Kwaku Anin Karikari, the Acting Regional Director of Health, said Out Patient attendance in the region continued to improve partly because of the National Health Insurance Scheme.

He said some of the common reported cases by Out patients included diarrhea, malaria and skin infections, and this accounts for most admissions in the region.

Dr. Karikari said one of the challenges facing the regional health sector was how to make the Bia East, Bodi, Amenfi Central and Suaman District Health Administrations functional.

Awards were later presented to the Enchi Government Hospital, Wassa Akropong Government Hospital and the Sefwi Wiawso Government Hospital for placing first, second and third respectively in the region’s 2013 Hospital Peer Review.