The absence of a District Hospital, lack of health professionals especially medical doctors, insufficient accommodation as well as poor road network among other operational challenges have been identified as major factors hampering quality health care delivery in the Ada West District of the Greater Region.

Only three medical doctors currently provided health care services to over 74, 554 people within the district.

Ada West District Director of Health Service (DDHS), Dr. Seli Deh who announced this during the maiden district health stakeholder’s forum dubbed “Family Meeting” at Sege the district capital situation was a threat to quality health care in the area.

She said despite the numerous challenges confronting the District Health Directorate, quality health care delivery has tremendously improved.

Dr. Deh stated that pragmatic measures must be put in place to ensure Ada West District stayed on track in achieving the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 3, which aspires to guarantee the health and well-being for all, including a bold commitment to end the epidemics of AIDS, tuberculosis, malaria and other communicable diseases by 2030.

She said in order to ensure affordable, accessible and quality health care delivery, the Ada West District Health Directorate has introduced the “Family Meeting”, a regular engagement with key stakeholders in the district to find innovative ways to address the numerous challenges militating against quality health care delivery in the area.

According to Dr. Deh, family meetings will help strengthen the multi-sectoral approach and increase engagement of potential allies across sectors to help locally develop new ideas for implementation which will contribute to quality health care delivery.

“There was the need to build stronger partnerships with NGOs in health and the private sector to raise awareness and increase access to targeted health services for citizens especially women and their families,” the DDHS stressed.

She therefore appealed to the Ada West District Assembly to construct a new Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) compounds in remote and inaccessible areas as well as renovate all the dilapidated existing ones in the district to help the rural folks have access to health care services.

In her Presentation, Ada West District Public Health Nurse, Ms. Irene Efo, revealed that skilled delivery in the district reduced from 688 presenting 25.3 percent in 2018 to 673 representing 23.9 percent in 2019 and further reduced to 537 presenting 18.3 percent in 2020.

She called for intensive education to get more pregnant women within the district to attend antenatal services to enable them to go through skilled delivery.  

The Presiding Member of the Ada West District Assembly, Sai Tettey who is also the bemoaned the inappropriate working behavior exhibited by some of the health workers in the district.

He called for improved customer satisfaction and loyalty through efficient public relations between patients and health care providers, especially nurses.

The Presiding member consequently urged the Ada West District Health Directorate to organise frequent in-service training for health workers concerning public relations and customer care service.