They should also improve on their community health surveillance and promptly inform the Service of suspected outbreaks of infectious and communicable diseases in their areas of operation.

Ms Grace Billi Kampitis, the Public Health Officer of the Kumasi Metro Health Directorate, made the call at the inauguration of the Buokrom Community Hospital at the Buokrom Estates in Kumasi.

The modern health facility is a partnership between the Naka Group of Companies and Plan Health Ghana.  It aims at offering modern quality primary healthcare to the people in the Community and its environs.

Ms Kampitis said private health facilities, which were closer to the people, were most often the first port of call for healthcare delivery for many in the communities.           She said it was, therefore, important for such facilities to be  alert and quickly report outbreak of communicable diseases and infections to the GHS for quick response and intervention to halt the spread of such diseases.

She pledged the continued support of the Government to enhance training, capacity building and sharing of information with private health facilities to improve healthcare delivery in the communities.   Dr Oppong Pepra, a Director of Plan Health Ghana, said the facility had been registered by the Health Facilities Regulatory Agency (HEFRA) and accredited by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA).

He said it would provide out-patients, in-patients, maternity, laboratory, surgery, pharmacy, x-ray, ultrasound scan, and ECG services among others to the Community. Nana Owusu Pempah, the Chief of Buokrom, urged the people to see the facility as their own and support it to provide the needed services to improve their health status.