Koforidua: The Eastern Regional Health Directorate has urged health workers to intensify preventive and health promotion activities under the Free Primary Healthcare (FPHC) policy to help reduce the disease burden in the region. Dr. Moses Barima Djimatey, Acting Eastern Regional Director of Health, said the policy would provide dedicated funding for community-level preventive services, including outreaches, home visits, school health screenings, and screening for hypertension, diabetes, and obesity.
According to Ghana News Agency, Dr. Djimatey revealed that five pilot districts in the region had received funding for the first time, and implementation had commenced. This development is considered a significant boost for Community Health Officers (CHOs) and District Directors of Health Services. He made these remarks during the Eastern Regional Health Directorate's 2026 half-year performance review held in Koforidua, which brought together medical superintendents and health service staff from across the region to assess performance and discuss emerging policy directions.
The meeting, themed 'Free Primary Health Care: Investing in Prevention, Promotion, Wellness for Reducing Disease Burden,' highlighted achievements and challenges within the regional health sector. Dr. Djimatey noted that while the region had recorded improvements in some areas, challenges persisted, particularly in immunisation coverage, HIV prevalence, and road traffic injuries. Maternal deaths had declined from 38 in 2024 to 32 in 2026, with a maternal mortality ratio of 89 deaths per 100,000 live births. Institutional neonatal mortality stood at five deaths per 1,000 live births, below the national target of eight deaths per 1,000 live births.
Dr. Djimatey emphasized the need for sustained efforts to eliminate preventable maternal and neonatal deaths. On malaria, he reported that mortality remained low, recording two deaths each in 2025 and 2026, compared to one death in 2024. Despite these gains, he expressed concern over declining immunisation coverage in the region. Data from the Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) showed a decline in coverage for key vaccines between 2024 and 2026, including Bacillus Calmette-Gu©rin (BCG) and Penta vaccines.
HIV prevalence in the region increased from 2.1 per cent in 2021 to 3.1 per cent in 2022, making the Eastern region the highest among the 16 regions at the time. Dr. Djimatey also highlighted the increasing incidence of road traffic injuries, with cases rising significantly from 3,952 in 2024 to 7,442 in 2026. Citing findings from the Global Burden of Disease Study, he identified stroke as the leading cause of death in Ghana, while ischaemic heart disease ranked third.
The FPHC policy is deemed crucial as primary healthcare serves as the first point of contact within the health system, emphasizing health promotion, disease prevention, basic clinical care, and community empowerment. Primary healthcare implementation in Ghana extends from Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds to district hospitals, with CHPS facilities playing a central role in preventive and promotive healthcare delivery.
Dr. Djimatey noted that although the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) had supported the financing of primary clinical care, a funding gap persisted in routine preventive and promotive activities, particularly those undertaken by CHOs. Under the policy, CHOs would receive dedicated resources to undertake community outreaches, home visits, school health screening programmes, community durbars, health education, and early referrals. He urged health managers and staff to ensure that the additional resources translated into improved service delivery and better health outcomes.
Ms. Richelle Adwoa Amofa, Deputy Director of Administration at the Eastern Regional Coordinating Council, representing the Eastern Regional Minister, Mrs. Rita Akosua Adjei Awatey, also called on health workers to prioritize prevention and health promotion. She urged healthcare providers to deepen community engagement under the FPHC policy by collaborating with schools, churches, mosques, businesses, traditional authorities, farmers' associations, and other community groups to promote healthy lifestyles and prevent diseases.
Ms. Amofa identified immunisation, maternal and child health, nutrition, sanitation and hygiene, malaria control, disease surveillance, health education, and screening for diabetes and hypertension as areas needing intensified attention. She also cautioned against self-medication, noting that the practice could contribute to delayed treatment and avoidable deaths. Through her representative, the Regional Minister encouraged health professionals to intensify public education on the dangers of self-medication and motivate people to seek prompt medical care when ill.