Adaklu: Mr. Dogah Tsigbe, the Coordinator of the Network of Practice (NoP) of the Adaklu District Health Directorate, has emphasized the critical role of Community Health Management Committee (CHMC) members as intermediaries between health facilities and their communities. He urged them to encourage community members to utilize local health facilities as their first point of contact for healthcare and to mobilize support for these facilities.
According to Ghana News Agency, Mr. Tsigbe made these remarks during a presentation on the 'Operationalization of NoP activities in the Adaklu district' at a one-day capacity-building training for CHMC members from five communities held in Adaklu Waya. The training was organized by the I Am Aware (IAA) Programme of the Ghana Centre for Democratic Development (CDD-Ghana) in collaboration with the Agency for Sustainable Development, the implementing partner in the Adaklu district.
The primary aim of the training was to enhance participants' understanding of the Community-based Health Planning Services (CHPS) concept and the NoP. It also aimed to equip them with the skills to use scorecards as an accountability tool to support governance, improve the quality of health services, and develop community action plans.
Mr. Tsigbe explained that the NoP employs a collaborative, hub-and-spoke model in the health sector, connecting primary care facilities with a central 'model health centre hub' to improve service quality, efficiency, and referral systems. This system promotes shared resources and accountability to achieve universal health coverage and reduce congestion at higher-level hospitals.
The Coordinator highlighted that the initiative would increase access to quality essential healthcare and population-based services for all by 2030. It also aims to reduce avoidable maternal, adolescent, and child deaths and disabilities while increasing access to responsive clinical and public health emergency services.
Mr. Tsigbe mentioned the existence of five Networks within the district: Ahunda, Waya, Wumenu, Sofa/Ablornu, and Helekpe. The District Health Directorate supports these Networks through logistics procurement, resource mobilization, and supervision. Additionally, technical support from the National Health Insurance Authority has led to increased monthly NHIS claims, reduced NHIS claims rejection, increased NHIS claims enrollment, and higher attendance rates.
He noted that the district has experienced significant improvements in logistics management due to the empowerment of the Networks to share resources among themselves. Referrals have also improved, attributed to the capacity building of health workers, CHMC members, and community members.
Mr. Cheetham Mingle, a Research Assistant of CDD-Ghana, encouraged participants to apply their training to effectively implement community action plans, organize quarterly meetings, and develop community scorecards to monitor the quality of services provided by their CHPS facilities. The IAA Programme is a non-partisan citizens' empowerment campaign by CDD-Ghana that offers free user-friendly data on public service delivery in various sectors, aiming to enhance accountability through increased citizens' awareness and engagement with duty-bearers.