GHS disseminates frontline health service assessment report

Tamale (N/R),– Ghana Health Service (GHS) has disseminated a Covid’19 frontline health service assessment report to a group of health workers and stakeholders across the Northern part of Ghana.

A survey was done in line with the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) health service capacity assessment, implemented by Ghana in June 2021, to assess the country’s health facilities’ capacity to respond to the pandemic and maintain essential health services.

The nationwide survey examined Covid’19 case management capacities, continuity of essential health services, and the demand for health services, which covered all levels of health facilities under GHS.

The report presented by Dr Edith Wellington, a Researcher at the Research and Development Division of the GHS revealed that there were shortages of essential clinical tools and supplies in health facilities and Covid’19 treatment centres within the research period.

Per the report, Personal Protective Equipment (PPEs) were unavailable for health facility staff as well inadequate medicines, oxygen, and ventilators to manage the pandemic.

It again found out that, there were gaps in Covid’19 diagnostics testing services as well as the fear of side effects of vaccines and the fear of vaccine potency.

However, the report recommended that there must be scheduled delivery of PPEs, tracer medicines, and diagnostics.

It further recommended the increase in the number of primary health care facilities that can take samples for suspected Covid’19 cases.

Nii Ankonu Annorbar Sapei, the Director of Programmes of the Alliance for Reproductive Health Rights (ARHR), said the ARHR partnered the GHS in the report dissemination, to understand health system issues, adding that the organisation would use data from the GHS to engage policymakers to demand improvement in essential health service delivery.

Dr Wellington gave assurance that there would be subsequent surveys to find out improvement in the performance of health facilities and said 143 facilities in 9 regions participated in the survey, using the continuity of health service module, Covid’19 case management module and the community assessment module.

Source: Ghana News Agency