The Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) has resumed its Annual Conference after a four-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Held in Koforidua, the conference serves as a platform for CHAG facility managers, medical directors, frontline clinicians, non-clinical staff, and other stakeholders to review their performance, identify common challenges, share best practices, and explore scalable innovations aimed at addressing emerging health issues.
This year’s theme was “Ghana’s Journey Towards Universal Health Coverage: Addressing Healthcare Quality and Emerging Human Resources.”
In his address, CHAG Executive Director Mr. Peter Yeboah emphasized CHAG’s significant role in Ghana’s healthcare sector, providing services to 6 million people annually through its 22 healthcare institutions and 1,300 healthcare facilities. CHAG’s institutions also enroll about 5,000 students each year, producing mid-level healthcare providers.
He stressed the need for a paradigm shift from focusing solely on financing and increasing access to healthcare to prioritizing the quality of healthcare and human resources.
He stated that equitable access to quality healthcare delivered by highly skilled and dedicated healthcare workers is essential to winning the public’s trust in the health system and achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
Dr. Patrick Kuma Aboagye, Director General of the Ghana Health Service, noted the country’s progress toward UHC, citing improvements in health outcomes such as increased life expectancy and decreased maternal mortality rates.
However, he acknowledged significant challenges, including total healthcare expenditure, quality of care, and workforce distribution.
Dr. Patrick Kuma Aboagye pointed out the disproportionate distribution of healthcare workers, with 88% of medical specialists concentrated in the Greater Accra and Ashanti Regions, and five out of the 16 regions lacking specialist dentists. Additionally, 57% of sector nurses as of December 2020 were non-specialist nurses.
Most Rev. Afrifa Agyekum, the Presiding Bishop of the Koforidua Diocese of the Catholic Church, called on the government to improve the conditions of service for healthcare workers. He also urged CHAG healthcare workers to uphold the principles of CHAG and resist participating in strike actions, as this undermines the mission of providing quality healthcare.
The conference concluded with calls for the government to support CHAG facilities in terms of equipment and infrastructural expansion. Prompt payment of National Health Insurance Claims was also highlighted. However, the Executive Director of NHIS, Dr. DaCosta Aboagye, said payments have recently been within the timeframe.
He announced an intervention to ensure preventive healthcare by ensuring annual health screening for subscribers on their birthdays.
Stakeholders emphasized the need for innovative interventions and systemic changes to enhance the quality of care and address the human resource challenges in Ghana’s healthcare system.
Source:Mybrytfmonline.com/Obed Ansah
