Tema, Sept. 14, GNA – Dr Irene Akua Agyepong, Greater Accra Regional Director of Health Services, has said the vision of the Ghana Health Service in the region remained to improve health delivery in all communities.
Speaking at the end of the 2007 Half Year Performance Review Meeting for public health institutions in the region, Dr Agyepong said data quality and completeness in the region appeared to be improving but was quick to submit that there remained problems with the timeliness of data submission.
The two-day meeting assessed progress towards achievement of the health sector vision, mission and strategic objectives in Greater Accra Region. She said data quality and completeness in the region appeared to be improving but was quick to add that there remained problems with the timeliness of date submission. On human resource management, the Regional Director said it was also experiencing some level of improvement because at the regional office all human resources records were fully computerized. Dr Agyepong noted that though relatively better resourced than other regions in Ghana, in terms of human resources, Greater Accra was still had problems.
“This is not the least so, because of its rapid population growth rate, especially in the periphery surrounding Accra.” On the Mutual Health Insurance Scheme, she said it was regrettable that the scheme in the region continued to owe the clinics and the hospitals large amounts in unpaid bills. She mentioned Dangme East and Ashiedu Keteke as the two exceptional areas that had cleared most of their outstanding bills. On diseases Dr Agyepong said malaria remained the most frequently reported disease at outpatient departments in all primary care clinics in the region.
Dr George Acquaye, Medical Superintendent in charge of the Ridge Hospital in Accra, said during the period under review, the most frequent recorded cause of death at the hospital was malaria, followed by hypertension and its complications. Dr Acquaye said Ridge Hospital maintained its high bed occupancy rate of near 90 per cent, adding that referrals to the hospital were steadily increasing.
