The Western Regional Director of Health Service, Dr. Jacob Mahama on encounter with the media has stated that, the Mother and Child Health intervention has particularly been hit on the challenges and restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic has greatly and negatively impacted on the western regional Health Service performance in the first half year of 2020.
This was due in the attendance at Antenatal care service which has been falling for several past years and persisting in 2019 mid year from 37.6% to 36.7% in 2020 mid year as they targeted 95%.
The theme for the encounter with the media in the Western Regional was “Continuing Quality Health Service Delivery Amid COVID-19 Pandemic Challenges”
He said communication between health workers and clients has been reduced to a functional minimum. Meanwhile they are to ensure the provision of quality services.
According to him, they have to emphasis the nature of the environment to continue to operate in order to render invaluable healthcare services to all and sundry in the Western Region and Ghana at large.
Dr. Mahama stated that the Health sector has badly been affected by the restrictive nature of the preventive protocols that they all need to observe to survive the pandemic.
Briefing the media in Sekondi-Takoradi at the Ghana Health Service Training Unit on other health issues in the Western Region, Dr. Jacob Mahama said increase in number of new ART sites in the Western Region will help to move HIV services closer to the clients in identifying and giving multiple worth of drugs, up to 6 months, to stable clients reduced the burden of frequent visits to clinic.
He noted, difficulty in tracing clients who have defaulted or are lost to follow up due to wrong addresses and phone numbers still persist as challenges including discrimination of people living with HIV.
Again adherence to treatment protocols, constant monitoring and supervising of the peripheral staff and health facilities and regular feedback has yielded deserved results in control of malaria in the Western Region. Meanwhile difficulties imposed by COVID-19, tuberculosis case notification rate has a significant drop from 34 to 31/100,000 population in 2019 mid year respectively, translating into a drop of 62 cases.
The Director of Health Service in the Western Region hinted of new projects including the refurbishment of Effia-Nkwanta Regional Hospital, construction of a Trauma Center in Agona Nkwanta-Ahanta West, Remodeling of Mpohor Health Center, Construction a hospital in Nsuaem, Tarkwa-Nsuaem Municipality, construction of 100 bed hospital at Shama and construction of Poly-Clinic at Elubo.
According to him inadequate Transport “Pick-ups and motor bikes”, Pharmacists and Large number of casuals draining Internal Generated Fund “IGF” are challenges facing the Health Service in western region.
Source: Benjamin Bray-Vision1 Fm
Obrempong-Nana Kwaku Ampomah 