The Ashanti Regional Health Directorate has commenced its Integrated 2024 Annual Performance Review and First Quarter Health System Innovations Review Meeting at the Lancaster Hotel in Kumasi.
The event, which brings together key stakeholders in the health sector, aims to evaluate the region’s healthcare performance and strategise for improved service delivery.
In his welcome address, the Ashanti Regional Director of Health Services, Dr. Fred Adomako-Boateng, emphasised the significance of the gathering, quoting the renowned African writer Chinua Achebe: “A man who calls his kinsmen to a feast does not do so to redeem them from starving… We come together because it is good for kinsmen to do so.”
He noted that the meeting provides an opportunity to assess the past year’s performance and plan for the future, adding, “An unexamined life is not worth living.”
Dr. Adomako-Boateng highlighted key healthcare indicators, showing both progress and areas needing improvement.
He noted that the implementation of internal and external audit recommendations improved from 88.6% in 2022 to 95.7% in 2023 and stood at 94.5% in 2024, surpassing the target of 80%.
The family planning acceptor rate has also seen an upward trend, increasing from 22.5% in 2020 to 32.6% in 2024, against a target of 40%.
However, some indicators fell short of expectations. The proportion of deliveries attended by trained health workers dropped from 57% in 2023 to 52.5% in 2024, below the target of 65%. Similarly, the doctor-to-population ratio worsened slightly, moving from 1:5,380 in 2023 to 1:5,614 in 2024, though still within the national target of 1:7,500.
A critical concern raised was maternal mortality, which remains high. “Why should 889 women die in giving life?” Dr. Adomako-Boateng questioned.
He acknowledged UNICEF’s support in tackling this challenge but stressed the urgency of reducing maternal deaths to 70 per 100,000 live births by 2030.
The theme for this year’s review, “Strengthening Primary Health Care (PHC) through Networks of Practice (NoP) towards Universal Health Coverage: The Role of Stakeholders,” underscores the need for collaboration in healthcare delivery.
Dr. Adomako-Boateng pointed out that well-functioning Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) zones, sub-district health centres, and district hospitals could address over 80% of health needs if adequately supported.
On resource challenges, he lamented the state of the Ashanti Regional Medical Stores, built in 1978 when the regional population was just 1.3 million. “The warehouse we have now can no longer serve the purpose for which it was created. We must construct and expand the current physical infrastructure,” he urged, revealing that the Otumfuo Osei Tutu II Foundation is considering its expansion.
Dr. Adomako-Boateng acknowledged the contributions of past regional health directors, district medical officers, and development partners, including UNICEF, PATH, Jhpiego, Sysmex, and the National Malaria Elimination Program.
He concluded with a quote from Albert Einstein: “Not everything that counts can be counted, and not everything that can be counted counts,” urging participants to be efficient and result-oriented.
The meeting will involve detailed discussions on the performance of various districts and the strategies needed to enhance healthcare delivery across the region.
Nana Yaw Owusu/Kumasi.
