Dr. Anthony Nsiah-Asare
DISTRICT DIRECTORS of the Ghana Health Service (DDHSG) have urged government to adequately resource the health sector in order to improve services to citizens.
According to them, infrastructure deficit, lack of vehicles and motorcycles, delays in paying claims to service providers under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and lack of incentive packages are some of the areas the resources should be channelled to.
The GHS directors made the appeal at their 26th annual meeting in Tamale under the theme: ‘Reducing Maternal & Neonatal Mortality Through Health Systems Strengthening’.
The National Chairman of the DDHSG, Dr. Andrews Ayim, said inadequate human and capital were hampering quality health service delivery.
He, thus, requested for a more strengthened community-based health planning and services (CHPS) compounds and other health facilities.
The Director General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Nsiah-Asare, lauded the conference theme and challenged the directors and all health personnel to let it reflect in their work.
He assured them to expect a significant boost in the health sector as plans are far advanced to give each district a pick-up vehicle and a motorcycle to improve their outreach programmes.
Dr. Nsiah-Asare admitted that human resource management remains a major challenge of the Ghana Health Service (GHS).
“The staffing norms have just been completed and its deployment and implementation is underway. Moving forward all staff will go through interview process at the regional level and placements and postings done according to the identified gaps. District directors should ensure that these norms are adhered to at the various districts,” he added.
Dr. Nsiah-Asare insisted that “as district directors, you are to ensure that your staff are motivated and teams are working well. The need to attract and retain the staff in deprived areas cannot be overemphasized. The Service will develop and implement the deprived area incentives to get staff to these areas and some additional dispensation will be granted for those in the deprived areas.”
The Northern Regional Director of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. John Bertson Gleeza, admonished the district directors to re-strategize and help government to achieve the agenda 2030 Sustainable Development Goal 3.
“A strong health system requires quality leadership and governance mechanisms, human, material and financial resources as well as accurate health information to guarantee a health system that can respond effectively to the health needs of a population.
Since district directors are the fulcrum around which the planning and implementation of various packages of basic health services delivery revolves, it will take your good leadership to build a strong health system at the district level,” he emphasized.
By Jamila Akweley Okertchiri