“Health Is Everything”

Story by: Mathias Aboba-Bolgatanga

Dr. John Koku Awoonor Williams, the Upper East Regional Director of Health Services, has appealed to communities in the region to put their health needs first as that is the only way by which they can achieve and maintain good health status to enable families and individuals pursue their economic and social aspirations, adding “Health is everything, it is when we are healthy that we think of work”

Dr Awoonor made the appeal during the swearing-in of District, Municipal and Regional Health Management Committees in Bolgatanga. Addressing the ceremony, Dr Awoonor said Community participation in health care delivery is crucial for providing feedback and support to make the system effective in responding adequately to the health needs of individuals and families. He observed that the management of health care delivery at the local level is incomplete without the effective involvement of communities.

Touching on development in the health sector in the region, Dr Awoonor disclosed that over the past few years the Upper East Region has made commendable progress in the reduction of maternal mortality from 153/100,000LB in 2009 to 141/100,000LB in 2010 and further to 134/100, 000LB by the close of 2011. According to him similar progress has been recorded in other key areas.

In the view of the Regional Director even though most key health indicators in the region have seen and continue to experience progression more still needs to be done as women and children still die from preventable causes, a situation he said justifies the need for extra efforts including the full commitment and participation of communities in health care delivery management.

Dr Awoonor noted that the region is committed to efforts aimed at improving access to health care services, in which regard it has increased the number of Community Health and Planning Service (CGHPS) compounds from 65 to 106: a number he said is way ahead of many other regions. He was however concerned that double efforts are needed to address the health infrastructure and human resource situation in the region.

He was worried that a local policy requiring the Midwifery and other Health Training Institutions in the Region to admit a good number of trainees from the region as a strategy for strengthening health staff numbers is not working due to less number of qualified applicants from the region particularly females.

He also pointed at the increasing difficulties involved in the acquisition of land for siting health projects as another major threat to the sector’s development in the Region. Dr Awoonor cited the delay in the completion of the Rehabilitation of the Bolgatanga Regional Hospital due to land acquisition challenges and called on community leaders to realise that health is something which cannot wait hence the need for them to make the necessary sacrifices to bring about the needed development.

He went to challenge the committee members to discharge their advisory, advocacy and facilitation duties and responsibilities with passion and devotion so that their involvement in health care management at that level will impact positively in the lives of their communities.

Speaking in an interview the Deputy Upper East Regional Director of Health Services in charge of administration Mr. Lucio Dery was optimistic that the committees will contribute to enhance health care delivery in the region. He praised the quality of human resource constituting the various committees and said with the diverse experience each of them bring on board nothing short of success can be expected.

The institution of Health Management Committees at Regional, Municipal and District levels is a provision under the Ghana Health Service and Teaching Hospital Act: Act 525 of 1996. The committees’ membership is a representation of various groups and institution at the local level. These include Women representative, Religious groups, Districts Assemblies among others.

The swearing in ceremony saw 98 distinguished members of the public taking the oath of induction as members of the Health Steering Committees for the nine Districts and municipalities in the region.

The Swearing-in was done by Assistant State Attorney, Samuel James Obuobi.