Speaking at the opening of the 29th Annual General Conference of District Directors of Health Service in Takoradi, Dr. Patrick Kuma Aboagye said the creation of Staff Clinics will ensure that health staff recover within time to get back to work.

“I’m looking out for a DDHS Group that cares for the carers. The question now is that, who cares for the carers? When a midwife or a nurse is sick at the CHPS Compound, who takes care of her? That is why we have instructed that all Regional Hospitals establish staff clinics that are dedicated to all staff from all levels. Just make sure that you’re insured, have your ID card, and you can go there for care and that is extremely important“, he said.

While assuring the District Directors of the Ghana Health Service’s efforts to improve their accommodation and transportation, Dr. Kuma-Aboagye however urged them not to renege on their responsibilities to supervise the operations of private health facilities in the country.

“You must have oversight responsibility. Your name is not District Director of Ghana Health Service, but you are District Director of Health Service, which means that you have oversight over everybody or health activity in your district being quasi-government, private facility or Ghana Health Service facility and that role must not be reneged on…Let’s not forget that under the law we have oversight of healthcare and therefore play that role properly“, he added.

A Representative of the World Health Organization (WHO), Dr Francis Chisaka Kosolo who said the World Health Organization working with government to strengthen health systems through investment in primary healthcare asked the District Director of Health Services not to forget lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic where the absence of resilience health care system in most countries disproportionately affected people living with Non-Communicable Diseases, NCDs.

On his part, the National Chairman of Directors of Health Services Group, Dr. Emmanuel Akwoulo Agyigewe Teviu commended government for some improvement in accommodation and vehicles for Health Directors but called for more as the challenge with accommodation and vehicles remains.

The Western Regional Director of Health Services, Dr. Yaw Ofori Yeboah, commended the dedication of District Directors of Health Service and challenged them to continue as the Service also looks at ways to improve their logistical needs.

The ongoing two-day 29th National Annual District Directors of Health Service Group Conference in Takoradi is on the theme: Strengthening NCD’s Services within Primary Healthcare Towards a Resilient Pandemic Preparedness and Response; The Role of The DDHS.