Day: June 22, 2024

Some patients and clients visiting health facilities in Wa have appealed to the Medical Laboratory Professional Workers Union (MELPWU) to show love to the vulnerable people in the country and the region in specific by calling off the strike and go to the negotiation table with the government.

They said the strike action is hitting hard on them and pleaded with the government to attend to the demands of the striking workers as soon as possible for them to resume work to improve healthcare delivery.

In an interaction with the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Wa, some clients at the Wa Municipal Hospital expressed worry about the exorbitant prices they were paying for laboratory services from some private facilities.

Mr. Bismark Saabele, a caregiver at that hospital, told the GNA that he had to pay GH?450.00 for a lab test at a private facility in Wa.

Mr. Sei Ndusaar, another caregiver, said he also paid GH?240.00 for lab test at a private facility in Wa.

The clients said they would not have paid such an amount f
or the lab test if the services were provided by public health facilities.

The situation could be worse in some district capitals and parts of the region without private medical laboratories.

Mr. Sampson Abu, the Administrator of the Wa Municipal Hospital, said the strike action by MELPWU is adversely affecting quality healthcare service delivery at the facility.

‘To provide quality health service to our clients is bordered on diagnosis and for you to get a true and accurate diagnosis then you must go into lab investigations because it is that results that would complement the complaint from the client.

So, if the lab workers are on strike and saying that they are not going to work then definitely we as, facility cannot also operate or provide that quality care that we are supposed to give to our clients,’ he lamented.

Mr. Abu indicated that the strike would also put much stress on patients and their caregivers as they would be compelled to go in search of private laboratories to conduct tests and might
end up paying exorbitant prices for those services.

‘So, by extension the hospital is also losing because revenues that we would have mobilised from this investigation that we carry out in the hospital are sent outside,’ he added.

He urged the government to see the strike action as a public emergency and urgently meet with the leadership of the Union to resolve their challenges to enable them to return to work.

The Hospital Administrator also appealed to the striking staff to cooperate with the government and to accept returning to work if their requests were met halfway since their services were critical in health service delivery and saving lives.

‘If they are given something considerable, something that will meet them halfway, their demand, they should accept it as it is and look at the vulnerable, that is the clients that we have, that sympathy and empathy should be there, that it could even be your own relative,’ Mr Abu explained.

Meanwhile, Mr. Jarris Bayor, the Administrator of Kaara Diagnostics S
ervices, a private medical laboratory in Wa, told the GNA that the facility had not recorded a significant increase in clients visit despite the MELPWU strike.

The Union began a nationwide strike on June 17, demanding better and improved conditions of service, saying negotiations had been delayed since 2022.

The devastating impact of the strike action on quality healthcare service delivery in the Wa Municipality cannot be underestimated.

Patients visiting public health facilities in the Municipality were compelled to seek medical laboratory services from private medical laboratories.

However, access to private medical laboratory services in some parts of the municipality and the region was almost non-existent apart from the cost associated with such services from private facilities.

Source: Ghana News Agency

The Volta Region National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) has been adjudged the best performing in the country in 2023.

The region was given a membership target of 1,157,527, however, it exceeded the target by achieving an active membership of 1,167,329 in the year under review.

Mr Joseph Homenya, Volta Regional Director of the NHIA announced this during the Authority’s 2023 annual performance review meeting in Ho.

He said this milestone was not achieved on a platter of pleasure but by the sacrifice, dedication, and back-breaking overtime by the highly enthusiastic and ethically sensitive staff.

The Director disclosed that the Ketu North District office of the Authority had also been adjudged the best performing district in the Volta Region and the country.

Mr Homenya commended service providers in the region for their effective collaboration with the NHIA and the professional services offered to members of the scheme.

He said the scheme in the region had made tremendous strides in all facets of its o
perations and they were pleased to see members enjoying seamlessly the benefit packages at the provider ends.

The Director said the NHIA had been very distinct in claims payment to their credentialed providers, and that the Authority had paid most service providers in the region up to January 2024.

He said the Authority had rolled out free registration and renewal for people who were 70 years and above, noting that the goal of the NHIA was to provide financial risk protection against the cost of quality healthcare for all residents in the country.

Mr. Homenya said some staff of the Authority had been trained as part of the government’s plan to register children under 18 years for the Ghana Card to work with the National Identification Authority to get those children registered onto the scheme.

He said 341,016 children were targeted to be registered in the Volta Region.

Dr Archibald Yao Letsa, Volta Regional Minister, commended the Authority for their dedication and commitment to delivering quality servic
es to the people.

He said the health insurance scheme was working, and it was the best thing that happened to the country, urging people to patronise the scheme to address their health needs.

The Minister assured the people that the Government was committed to addressing all challenges facing the scheme.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Series of community-based events designed to promote health and wellness, and to nudge the carrying out of recommended health behaviours for improved health as well as increasing access to health care services has been launched.

The events, dubbed: ‘GoodLife Health Fairs’ are also to empower individuals and families to access basic essential health services and connect with local health providers through practical demonstration of how to use health care commodities and access to services.

The GoodLife Health Fairs are a key initiative under the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Accelerating Social and Behaviour Change (ASBC) Activity.

The ASBC Activity is being implemented in northern Ghana by the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Savana Signatures and other consortium partners to reduce disease burden across multiple health areas, generate demand for and increase the uptake of health services in facilities, while creating supportive environments for behaviour change.

Dr. Stephen Agbeny
o, Executive Director, Savana Signatures, speaking during the launch of the fairs in the Sagnarigu Municipality of the Northern Region on Thursday, said the initiative would contribute significantly to building healthier communities and promote productivity.

There were health screening, blood donation, vaccination, health talk and education, cooking and food demonstration, promotion of family planning methods, demonstration of construction of tippy taps among others as part of the launch.

Participants during the launch included various stakeholders in the health sector, traditional authorities, people living with disabilities and some students from second cycle institutions.

Dr Agbenyo said: ‘Savana Signatures will be rolling out these fairs across the Sagnarigu Municipality and the Mamprugu-Moagduri Districts under the leadership of the Health Promotion Division of the GHS and the consortium lead, FHI360 under the theme: ‘Promoting Good Health through Positive Uptake of Health Behaviours’.

He emphasised
that ‘at the end of the fairs, we aim at promoting the uptake of healthy behaviours through the promotion of service delivery and uptake of health products for measurable behaviour changes.’

Mr. Joshua Ofori, Chief of Party, USAID ASBC Activity, described the initiative as a one-stop-market where service providers would make available information and services pertaining to various health interventions.

He said the initiative had specifically prioritised maternal and child health, reproductive health, nutrition, water sanitation and hygiene, family planning, among others.

Madam Mabel Kissiwah Asafo, Acting Director, Health Promotion Division, GHS, said the initiative was in line with health promotion efforts to prevent diseases and ensure the general well-being of communities.

Alhaji Shani Alhassan Saibu, Northern Regional Minister, whose speech was read on his behalf, lauded the initiative, and said it would promote the adoption of positive health behaviours as a means for promoting healthy lifestyles and
practices to prevent diseases.

He urged beneficiary districts to embrace the initiative to improve their health.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Would-be couples have been advised to check their genetic compatibility before going into marriage to prevent having children with sickle cell conditions.

The condition, according to Dr. David Hayford, a Laboratory Manager, was caused when two people with same X cells mate and if conception took place, children born were highly susceptible to the condition.

He debunked the Idea that sickle cell was a spiritual disease but educated that the best remedy to bringing forth children with the condition was proper medical diagnosis between interested and would-be couples to test to know their status.

In an interview with Ghana News Agency (GNA) in Sekondi, Dr Hayford explained that sickle cell disease was a lifelong illness except, a bone marrow transplant was carried out on the affected which had proven to be an expensive and only cure for sickle cell disease.

He explained that Sickle cell was an inherited disease caused by a defect in a gene. A person would be born with sickle cell disease only if two genes we
re inherited-one from the mother and one from the father.

A person who Inherits just one gene is healthy and said to be a ‘carrier’ of the disease.

Some symptoms of the condition included Breathing problems, extreme tiredness, Headache or dizziness, Painful erections in male, Weakness or a hard time moving some parts of your body and yellowish skin color (jaundice) among others.

He noted that sickle cell disease was fast becoming a major health issue and urged the public, especially the youth, to embark on regular check-ups to know their sickle cell status.

Source: Ghana News Agency

Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye, the Minister of Health, has emphasised the need for collective action in combating sickle cell disease in Ghana.

Dr Okoe Boye said this in a speech read on his behalf by Dr Mavis Sakyi, the acting Head of Health Promotion at the Ministry of Health, at the Sickle Cell Conditions Advocates’ (SICCA) first conference on preventing sickle cell disease.

The Minister acknowledged the challenges in preventing, diagnosing, and managing the disease, highlighting the improvement opportunities.

He announced that the government was working on a non-communicable disease policy, ‘the national strategy for sickle cell disease, which is a significant milestone in addressing the condition.’

He indicated that the national strategy offers a framework for action and calls on all stakeholders to join forces in this critical endeavour.

‘The national strategy for sickle cell disease represents a significant milestone in our ongoing efforts to address sickle cell disease in Ghana. This strategy is a step t
owards that vision, offering a framework for action and a call to all stakeholders to join hands in this critical endeavour,’ he stated.

The Minister stressed the importance of education in empowering individuals to make informed decisions about their health and choices.

He added that there is a need to back the information on sickle cells with action to drive change, improve access to quality care, support research initiatives, and promote holistic well-being for people living with the disease.

He emphasised the need for unity in purpose and resolve, urging stakeholders to stand together to make a difference in the lives of those affected by sickle cell disease and create a future where the condition is met with understanding, compassion, and effective support.

Source: Ghana News Agency