Category: Medical

The Kpone-Katamanso Municipal Health Directorate has reviewed its 2023 performance scorecards to assess its improvement or otherwise in service delivery in the year under review.

Dr Esther Priscilla Biamah-Danquah, the Municipal Health Director, in an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), said the performance assessment against the previous year’s was very important in ensuring efficient and quality health service delivery.

It would also help in identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the Directorate and how to maximise its gains to meet the health demands of the people, she said.

Dr Biamah-Danquah said though 2023 was very challenging, the Directorate made some gains on some selected Out-Patients Department (OPD) indicators compared to 2022.

Whereas 169,273 OPD cases were seen in 2022, a total of 181,907 were attended to in 2023, representing per capita cases of 0.39 and 0.41, respectively.

Acute urinary tract infection cases were 7,983 in 2022 and 13,638 in 2023, with uncomplicated malaria ca
ses shoting up from 9,966 in 2022 to 12,271 in 2023.

Dr Biamah-Danquah said institutional maternal death within the municipality had seen a sharp decline from 51 per cent per 10,000 births in 2022 to 46 per cent per 10,000 births in 2023.

Stillbirths also reduced from 3.8 per cent in 2022 to 3.6 per cent in 2023.

She noted that health delivery services were evolving, therefore, the workers must acquaint themselves with the modern trends in health delivery services to meet current demands.

‘The performance review will bring out the areas where staff would have to be given continuous training to build their capacity to improve quality healthcare in the municipality,’ the Municipal Health Director said.

She called on the Kpone-Katamanso residents to support health institutions and workers in their localities to ensure a conducive environment for health delivery.

Some hard-working staff were presented with plaques in appreciation of their commitment to service delivery within the municipality.

Source: Gha
na News Agency

Nana Akwasi Ofori Ababio, the Chief of Sefwi-Bodi, has registered 1000 children (17 years and below) onto the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to facilitate their access to quality healthcare.

This is to help give some relief to parents who could not afford to register or renew their children’s membership onto the NHIS.

The gesture forms part of activities to celebrate this year’s Elou Festival of the chiefs of people of Sefwi-Bodi in the Western North Region.

‘We are doing this as a result of the fact that cocoa trees of parents are dying here in our area, making it difficult for them to either renew or register their children onto the National Health Insurance Scheme,’ Nana Ababio told the Ghana News Agency in an interview.

He advised political actors, especially those in the region, to desist from personal attacks and offensive languages before, during and after the 2024 general election.

‘When we live together as one people, and desist from divisions among ourselves, that is when we can focus
on developing our area,’ he said.

Mr Ignatius Akwasi Amankwah, the Bodi District Chief Executive, called on the people to really behind the Government to implement more development projects in the area.

He appealed to the people to adopt a maintenance culture to ensure government projects last longer to benefit them and future generations.

‘It Is when we take good care of what we have, that is when we can ask for more, but if we refuse to maintain what we have, the money to be used to initiate new ones will be used to repair the ones we have destroyed,’ he said.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Nana Akwasi Ofori Ababio, the Chief of Sefwi-Bodi, has registered 1000 children (17 years and below) onto the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to facilitate their access to quality healthcare.

This is to help give some relief to parents who could not afford to register or renew their children’s membership onto the NHIS.

The gesture forms part of activities to celebrate this year’s Elou Festival of the chiefs of people of Sefwi-Bodi in the Western North Region.

‘We are doing this as a result of the fact that cocoa trees of parents are dying here in our area, making it difficult for them to either renew or register their children onto the National Health Insurance Scheme,’ Nana Ababio told the Ghana News Agency in an interview.

He advised political actors, especially those in the region, to desist from personal attacks and offensive languages before, during and after the 2024 general election.

‘When we live together as one people, and desist from divisions among ourselves, that is when we can focus
on developing our area,’ he said.

Mr Ignatius Akwasi Amankwah, the Bodi District Chief Executive, called on the people to really behind the Government to implement more development projects in the area.

He appealed to the people to adopt a maintenance culture to ensure government projects last longer to benefit them and future generations.

‘It Is when we take good care of what we have, that is when we can ask for more, but if we refuse to maintain what we have, the money to be used to initiate new ones will be used to repair the ones we have destroyed,’ he said.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Hohoe Unique Lions Club has held a blood donation exercise at Hohoe in the Volta Region to collect 200 pints of blood to restock the Regional Hospital’s blood bank.

It was held in partnership with the Tema Supreme Lions Club, Tema Supreme Leo Club and Koforidua U-Tech Leo Club at the St Francis College of Education.

The exercise was to mark the Charter Night of the Club with some humanitarian activities, Mr Crosby Bansah, the President of the Club, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview.

He said the Volta Regional Hospital at Hohoe faced blood shortage, therefore, the need to pull along students from the Fred N. Binka School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied (UHAS), Hohoe Nursing and Midwifery Training College, St Francis College of Education and St Teresa College of Education to support the exercise.

Mr Bansah said since blood was a scarce commodity, which a lot of people needed to survive, all should avail themselves to donate.

The Club’s Charter Night focuses on raising f
unds to help renovate the Out-Patients Department (OPD) of the Regional Hospital.

Mr Bansah said the condition of the Hospital’s OPD needed an upgrade to ensure patients’ privacy and provide a conducive environment for the health staff, who were at the mercy of the weather.

Mr Mawuli Dzamefe, Immediate Past President, Tema Supreme Lions Club and Guiding Lion for Hohoe Unique Lions Club, said the Hohoe Club would be the 45th to be officially admitted into ‘Lionism’.

He said the Lions Club was the biggest humanitarian organisation worldwide with about 1.4 million members worldwide and 1,350 in Ghana.

Mr Dzamefe called on individuals to join the Club to serve the community the best they could.

Mr Thomas Worlanyo Tsekpo, Hohoe Constituency National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary Candidate, said he benefited from a pint of blood after an accident and that made him realise the importance of blood donation.

He said it was his second time donating blood and called on all to avail themselves for the exe
rcise to save lives.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Hohoe Unique Lions Club has held a blood donation exercise at Hohoe in the Volta Region to collect 200 pints of blood to restock the Regional Hospital’s blood bank.

It was held in partnership with the Tema Supreme Lions Club, Tema Supreme Leo Club and Koforidua U-Tech Leo Club at the St Francis College of Education.

The exercise was to mark the Charter Night of the Club with some humanitarian activities, Mr Crosby Bansah, the President of the Club, told the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview.

He said the Volta Regional Hospital at Hohoe faced blood shortage, therefore, the need to pull along students from the Fred N. Binka School of Public Health, University of Health and Allied (UHAS), Hohoe Nursing and Midwifery Training College, St Francis College of Education and St Teresa College of Education to support the exercise.

Mr Bansah said since blood was a scarce commodity, which a lot of people needed to survive, all should avail themselves to donate.

The Club’s Charter Night focuses on raising f
unds to help renovate the Out-Patients Department (OPD) of the Regional Hospital.

Mr Bansah said the condition of the Hospital’s OPD needed an upgrade to ensure patients’ privacy and provide a conducive environment for the health staff, who were at the mercy of the weather.

Mr Mawuli Dzamefe, Immediate Past President, Tema Supreme Lions Club and Guiding Lion for Hohoe Unique Lions Club, said the Hohoe Club would be the 45th to be officially admitted into ‘Lionism’.

He said the Lions Club was the biggest humanitarian organisation worldwide with about 1.4 million members worldwide and 1,350 in Ghana.

Mr Dzamefe called on individuals to join the Club to serve the community the best they could.

Mr Thomas Worlanyo Tsekpo, Hohoe Constituency National Democratic Congress (NDC) Parliamentary Candidate, said he benefited from a pint of blood after an accident and that made him realise the importance of blood donation.

He said it was his second time donating blood and called on all to avail themselves for the exe
rcise to save lives.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The West Africa Institute for Special Surgery (WAISS) has officially opened a facility at Pantang.

The commissioning of the facility was done with the unveiling of a logo that will inspire the delivery of excellent healthcare services to the populace.

WAISS is a state-of-the-art 46-bed special surgical hospital aimed to improve access to quality and affordable surgical care in West Africa.

The facility, which shares the same premises with FOCOS Orthopaedic Hospital, has four operating rooms, private patient rooms, telemedicine, and family-sized consultation rooms.

Its areas of focus include minimally invasive urology, Andrology and men’s health, female urology, Plastic and Reconstructive surgery, Facial Paralysis and Bells Palsy, Ear, Nose and Throat, Head and Neck cancer, and Pituitary Tumor Surgery.

The rest are CSF (Brian Fluid) Leak Repair, Microvascular Reconstruction, Pediatric Craniofacial, Surgery, Facial Trauma, Sleep Surgery, Aesthetic Medicine, Interventional Spine and Pain Management among ot
hers.

Professor Kofi Boahene, Founder of WAISS and Foundation for Special Surgery, speaking during the opening of the Hospital, expressed appreciation to the doctors, project team, donors, volunteers, and sponsors for the support in bringing the vision of establishing the facility to life.

He said WAISS was partnering FOCOS Orthopaedic Hospital so they could leverage each other’s expertise and not reinvent the wheel.

The Baltimore-based surgeon said the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, as well as the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital were overstretched as such, the new speciality facility would help reduce the pressure on them, saying: ‘This is my little way to give back to my motherland’.

‘I see a great partnership between WAISS and FOCOS in future. We will combine expertise to enable us to do more over a short period, but this is a process.’

Nana Professor Oheneba Boachie-Adjei, the President and Founder of FOCOS Orthopaedic Hospital, commended Prof Boahen and his partners for the foresight.

He said the lack
of adequate manpower especially for specialty care, worsened by losing trained professionals to greener pastures abroad and the inadequate number of well-equipped facilities to train future specialists continued to be a challenge.

‘Above all the inadequate healthcare financing characterised by poorly funded National Health Insurance Scheme, has made it almost impossible for many households to have access to good quality health care. Instead of good healthcare becoming a right it is now a privilege most people can’t afford.

‘It is for these reasons that FOCOS Orthopaedic Hospital sees the partnership with WAISS as crucial to help enhance Ghana’s healthcare system and Africa.’

Professor Boachie-Adjei called for the cooperation of all who signed up to work at the facility to be diligent, trusting and hardworking to ensure Prof Boahene’s labour was not in vain.

Dr Joseph William Akornor, a Board Member and a Urologist, said the facility would help provide surgical services that were not being done in the coun
try currently.

‘As a Urologist, I don’t think anybody is doing Robotic Surgery and Complete Urological Procedures so my goal is to bring all that technology and expertise to Ghana and West Africa,’ he added.

Dr Akornor said aside treatment, the Hospital would provide training to future urologists.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The West Africa Institute for Special Surgery (WAISS) has officially opened a facility at Pantang.

The commissioning of the facility was done with the unveiling of a logo that will inspire the delivery of excellent healthcare services to the populace.

WAISS is a state-of-the-art 46-bed special surgical hospital aimed to improve access to quality and affordable surgical care in West Africa.

The facility, which shares the same premises with FOCOS Orthopaedic Hospital, has four operating rooms, private patient rooms, telemedicine, and family-sized consultation rooms.

Its areas of focus include minimally invasive urology, Andrology and men’s health, female urology, Plastic and Reconstructive surgery, Facial Paralysis and Bells Palsy, Ear, Nose and Throat, Head and Neck cancer, and Pituitary Tumor Surgery.

The rest are CSF (Brian Fluid) Leak Repair, Microvascular Reconstruction, Pediatric Craniofacial, Surgery, Facial Trauma, Sleep Surgery, Aesthetic Medicine, Interventional Spine and Pain Management among ot
hers.

Professor Kofi Boahene, Founder of WAISS and Foundation for Special Surgery, speaking during the opening of the Hospital, expressed appreciation to the doctors, project team, donors, volunteers, and sponsors for the support in bringing the vision of establishing the facility to life.

He said WAISS was partnering FOCOS Orthopaedic Hospital so they could leverage each other’s expertise and not reinvent the wheel.

The Baltimore-based surgeon said the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, as well as the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital were overstretched as such, the new speciality facility would help reduce the pressure on them, saying: ‘This is my little way to give back to my motherland’.

‘I see a great partnership between WAISS and FOCOS in future. We will combine expertise to enable us to do more over a short period, but this is a process.’

Nana Professor Oheneba Boachie-Adjei, the President and Founder of FOCOS Orthopaedic Hospital, commended Prof Boahen and his partners for the foresight.

He said the lack
of adequate manpower especially for specialty care, worsened by losing trained professionals to greener pastures abroad and the inadequate number of well-equipped facilities to train future specialists continued to be a challenge.

‘Above all the inadequate healthcare financing characterised by poorly funded National Health Insurance Scheme, has made it almost impossible for many households to have access to good quality health care. Instead of good healthcare becoming a right it is now a privilege most people can’t afford.

‘It is for these reasons that FOCOS Orthopaedic Hospital sees the partnership with WAISS as crucial to help enhance Ghana’s healthcare system and Africa.’

Professor Boachie-Adjei called for the cooperation of all who signed up to work at the facility to be diligent, trusting and hardworking to ensure Prof Boahene’s labour was not in vain.

Dr Joseph William Akornor, a Board Member and a Urologist, said the facility would help provide surgical services that were not being done in the coun
try currently.

‘As a Urologist, I don’t think anybody is doing Robotic Surgery and Complete Urological Procedures so my goal is to bring all that technology and expertise to Ghana and West Africa,’ he added.

Dr Akornor said aside treatment, the Hospital would provide training to future urologists.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr Charity Binka, Executive Director, African Media and Malaria Research Network (AMMREN), has called on media practitioners to support efforts in advocating patronage of vaccine in the country.

She urged them to encourage the citizenry to take the relevant vaccinations towards preventing the outbreak of preventable diseases.

Dr Binka made the call at an Editor’s Forum in Accra, organised by AMMREN in partnership with Ghana Health Service (GHS), World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNICEF on the theme: ‘Vaccine uptake in Ghana, role of the media’.

The Executive Director said that should be done by demystifying false information and fears, which were discouraging people from taking the vaccines.

She said the media had a critical role to play in ensuring its gatekeeping role, helping to shape public perception with effective and comprehensive reportage about vaccine uptake and dispel misinformation among the public, hence the media engagement to support the initiative.

Dr Binka said vaccine hesitancy in the
public continued to be a worry, adding that until everyone took the vaccines in the country, the entire population was not safe.

‘Vaccination is important in the lives of every individual and it has saved the lives of many from death and protected the adult population and it is necessary to ensure continuous uptake to save the lives of children, pregnant women and the general population,’ she stressed.

According to the GHS, vaccination has been an important component of healthcare delivery in the country, however, acceptance and uptake of the vaccines continued to be a challenge as the citizenry refused to take the vaccines due to misconception among the public.

The GHS currently has 14 vaccines as its routine vaccination, which are Tuberculosis, Poliomyelitis, Diphtheria, Pertussis (whooping cough), Tetanus, Haemophilus influenzae type B, Hepatitis B, Pneumococcal diseases and Rotavirus diarrhoea.

The rest are Measles, Rubella, Yellow fever, Neisseria Meningitis and Malaria.

Dr Kwame Amponsa-Achiano, Pr
ogramme Manager, Expanded Programme on Immunization (EPI) at GHS, said immunization had eliminated most of the childhood killer diseases as well as reduced under five mortality deaths in the country.

He said urban and peri-urban communities had not achieved full coverage due to false information, high in population size and hard to reach communities,adding that efforts were being made to cover the entire population.

Dr Amponsa-Achiano, disclosed that out of 20.7 million targeted for the COVID-19 vaccination, 71.8 per cent had at least taken one dose, while 57 per cent had been fully vaccinated, adding that the target had not been fully achieved due to public perception and fear among the public.

He said the engagement with the media would go a long way to restore confidence among the population to ensure public safety.

The Programme Manager said getting the entire population to take the vaccines remained necessary to achieve herd immunity and ensure the safety and total protection of everyone in the count
ry.

Dr Frank John Lule, Officer in Charge of WHO Country Office, Ghana, said immunization stood as one of the remarkable achievements in the history of public health and had significantly reduced the burden of infectious diseases and saved countless lives.

‘Today, smallpox is no more a threat to humanity, and the burden of diseases, including polio, measles, tetanus, yellow fever, and meningitis just to mention a few that once killed many children and maimed others have significantly reduced, thanks to vaccination,’ Dr Lule said.

He said the media had the responsibility to hold authorities accountable for sustainable and efficient vaccine distribution, while the sector ensured equitable access to vaccines for all regardless of socio-economic status or geographic location to achieve health for all.

Mr Albert Dwumfour , President, Ghana Journalists Association, acknowledged that the attainment of vaccination objectives for particular diseases had been a challenging endeavour, owing to vaccine hesitancy enge
ndered by misunderstandings, apprehensions, and false information.

Mr Dwumfour said the situation required further efforts from a range of stakeholders, including the media, to alter the prevailing discourse to address vaccine hesitancy.

He said capacity building and welfare for Journalists were GJA’s major priorities and commended AMMREN and the partners for the initiative to get the media well informed and help shape public perception.

The media engagement with AMMREN would be preceded with sensitisation, intensive training for media persons, radio and television discussions and possibly, the establishment of a National Media Vaccine Watch Network towards getting everyone vaccinated to achieve herd immunity for the safety of all.

Source: Ghana News Agency