The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has presented medical equipment worth GH¢6.5 million to the Ministry of Health (MoH) - through the CHPS for Life project - to support primary healthcare delivery in the country.

The equipment was provided through a project for strengthening community-based health services (CHPS) in the Upper West, Upper East and Northern regions.

The equipment included pulse oximeters, glucometres, haemoglobin meters and their respective strips, BP apparatus, stethoscope, weighing and height scales, dressing instrument set, sterilising drums, Veronica buckets and vaccine carriers.

A statement issued by JICA explained that the 18 different types of equipment were prioritised for use in the CHPS facilities in the northern parts of the country.

The support was in response to a request by the MoH in order to boost the health system in the wake of Covid-19 to enable the country to mitigate the impact of the health crisis and ensure continuity of essential health services.

The initiative was intended to support the country’s effort towards the attainment of Universal Health Coverage by improving access to quality health services and strengthening the network of care within the primary healthcare system in the northern areas.

Interventions

The Chief Representative of JICA Ghana Office, Mr Araki Yasumichi, acknowledged the collaboration among the ministry, the Ghana Health Service (GHS) and JICA that had led to many impactful interventions such as improving geographical accessibility through the CHPS strategy and addressing maternal and newborn care issues.

Mr Yasumichi said in line with JICA’s Initiative for Global Health and Medicine, the medical equipment support was expected to strengthen the primary healthcare system and ensure continuity in the provision of essential health services, as well as strengthen the preparedness for pandemics.

He said 52 districts in the north and over 1,000 functioning CHPS zones would benefit from the intervention.

The Director-General of the GHS, Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, received the items.

The CHPS for Life project is a five-year undertaking running from June 2017 to June 2022.

It is expected to leverage the well-established community health systems to promote access to quality health care for all age cohorts.

It also focuses on building the capacity of health professionals at the CHPS, health centre and district hospital levels to promote healthy lifestyle, social behaviour change, early detection and prompt referral of high-risk conditions, including non-communicable diseases and other diseases of public health interest.