Stakeholders deliberate on improving health outcomes
A strategic meeting on how to improve healthcare delivery and outcomes within the lingering COVID-19 pandemic is underway in Accra.
The three-day meeting, which began yesterday, is focusing on the role participatory planning and budgeting can play to enhance healthcare delivery in the country.
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It is being participated in by senior managers of both public and private health institutions, Ghana’s development partners, policy makers, among other stakeholders, who are discussing policies and priorities for the health sector for the 2022 planning and budgeting period.
The meeting, which is the second edition, is on the theme: “Improving service delivery in a pandemic: The role of participatory planning and budgeting”.
Sustaining gains
The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, underscored the need to uphold public health measures to sustain and improve on the gains made in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
He said all such measures, including preventive protocols and vaccination, would yield the desired result of stopping the spread of the virus.
While applauding health practitioners and managers for the tremendous work done so far, he urged them not to relent in their efforts, since Ghana was not out of the COVID-19 pandemic yet and was still striving to achieve the universal health coverage (UHC) agenda.
“I want to use this opportunity to thank you for your collective contribution to the strides made by the service in enhancing the health and well-being of our clients, despite the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Notwithstanding these strides, much remains to be done to offset the impact of the pandemic on health service delivery,” the D-G added.
Devt plan
Dr Kuma-Aboagye said a new medium-term development plan (2022-2025) for the health sector would take effect from next year, following the expiration of the existing one by the close of the year.
He said the new plan would, among others, focus on enhancing the provision of essential services, the efficient management of clinical and public health emergencies, improving the quality of care and information management, enhancing efficiency in human resource performance, institutionalising reforms for sector effectiveness and strengthening health policy, financing and systems.
The Chairman of the GHS Council, Dr Sefah Sarpong Bediako, expressed gratitude to the management and staff of the service for their contribution to the fight against the COVID-19 in the midst of limited resources.
For his part, the Director of Policy, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation of the Ministry of Health, Dr Emmanuel Odame, said his outfit was focused on delivering the UHC agenda, driven by quality primary health care.
He said the UHC had been operationalised in the country to mean “all people in Ghana having timely access to high quality health service, irrespective of their ability to pay at the point of use”.
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