The Upper East Region now has 100 per cent coverage of functional Community Health Planning and Services (CHPS) zones, the Regional Director of Health Services, Dr Samuel K. Boakye-Boateng, has said. 

It is an improvement on the 31 per cent coverage achieved in 2016.

He said the achievement had come about through a partnership with the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA).

“As a result of the commitment and contributions of KOICA, we have witnessed improved health outcomes for the people, especially those living in hard-to-reach communities across the region,” the director added.

Dr Boakye-Boateng was speaking at a stakeholder’s meeting on the KOICA CHPS+ phase two project and Network of Practice (NoP) policy implementation in Bolgatanga. 

It was attended by district directors of health and some staff of district assemblies in the region.

There were presentations on the implementation of the project and activities undertaken in the roll-out of NoP in the area. 

Impact

The director said the achievement made was not only a statistical milestone but constituted a “real and transformative impact on the lives of the people”.

He also said there had been an increase in the number of community health officers who were at the heart of the CHPS implementation.

Dr Boakye-Boateng said there were currently 721 officers offering the various communities in the region with dedicated services.

"This is a testament to our joint commitment to bringing health care closer to the doorsteps of everyone who lives in the region," he said.

The director added that support from KOICA in terms of equipment to CHPS zones, health centres and district hospitals had also contributed to the improvement of quality of care to patients.

Network of Practice

Touching on the NoP, Dr Boakye-Boateng said evidence from various programme implementations suggested that when well established and operationalised, the practice could significantly improve access to quality health care at the primary level.

He said it would also reduce fragmentation in coordinating referrals and services, ensure accessible primary health care for diverse communities and leverage the limited resources to maximise performance at all levels.

Objective 

The KOICA CHPS + Project Phase II Manager, Myeong Seon Kim, said the project was not only aimed at improving access to health services but also intended to focus on enhancing quality service delivery in health facilities.

He underscored the need for special attention to be paid to maternal mortality in the region, adding, "There must be a concerted effort from all stakeholders towards improving quality service for the benefit of all".