Staffing and machinery, a major challenge at CHIPS centres – Seyram Alhassan

Member of Parliament for Ayawaso West Wuogon, Miss Lydia Seyram Alhassan, has indicated that the challenge with Ghana’s quest to achieving universal care is inadequate staffing and machinery at the various Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) centres.

Miss Seyram Alhassan indicated that the challenge of staffing and machinery do not ensure efficiency and full functions of the centres in health service delivery.

Presenting a statement on the floor of Parliament on the World Health Day celebration, the MP who doubles as a Member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health, pointed out that access to quality and affordable healthcare is a right and not a privilege.

She reiterated that the World Bank in partnership with the Ministry of Health, the Ghana Health Service (GHS), and the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) is in the process of engineering an arrangement that would ensure healthcare at the various CHPS level with or without financial wherewithal. 

Miss Seyram Alhassan further explained that there are over 6,000 CHPS facilities in the country, and that the CHPS facility, as the most decentralised form of healthcare in the country, takes care of takes care of an average of 5,000 people. 

The Ayawaso West Wuogon MP revealed that the recent clearance for the employment of some 53,681 health workers has significantly contributed in addressing the staffing Challenges of the health sector. 
She added that Ghana has made tremendous gains at achieving Universal Health Care since the inception of the Fourth Republic

Reaction from a Health Committee member

Member of Parliament for Ledzokuku and a member of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health, Dr. Bernard Okoe Boye, in contributing to the statement, indicated that the public should be educated on Universal Health Care and the prevention of some diseases.

He indicated that healthcare in the country should be affordable, to ensure that individuals with little financial resources can have access to healthcare. Dr. Okoe Boye noted that there is a need for some form of relief for patients with critical conditions but cannot afford quality healthcare at the hospitals. 

He added that, Ghana must develop its health sector to a level that every individual above forty years can easily walk to a health facility and have a Computerised Tomography (CT) with any difficulty in access. Dr. Okoe Boye urged Ghanaians to regularly visit health facilities for checkup and avoid the fear of high cost in health delivery.

By: Theresa Adezewa Aryeetey