The Ghana Health Service has diversified its style of holding its annual performance review by the use of interchangeability in the district assessment to improve performance.
Formerly the annual review was held among members in the same directorate but currently the trend has changed, where one directorate is given the opportunity to peer review another directorate.
Mr Kojo Owusu Ansah, the Asene Manso Akroso District Health Director in an interview with the Ghana News Agency during the 2020 Annual Performance Review said, the diversification will ensure a holistic approach to the district’s health promotion.
He said, the directorate exists to contribute to the realisation of the national health goal of having a healthy population.
The capacity of Asene Manso Akroso District Health Directorate was examined by the Denkyembour District Health Directorate in the areas of enhancing efficiency in governance management.
Other areas included reduction in morbidity and mortality, intensifying prevention and control of communicable disease, and ensuring sustainable, affordable, equity, easily accessible health care service.
The evaluation recorded that, the proportion of children due to measles Rubella 2, receiving long-lasting insecticidal net (LLIN) was encouraging as well as the proportion of out-patients who are insured.
Incidence rate of diabetes was undesirable as well as the incidence rate of hypertension.
Also percentage of encounters with an injection prescribed was undesirable.
Completeness of reports by health facilities and the percentage of planned data validation meeting by the district health directorate were satisfactory.
Prevention of Mother to Child Transmission (PMTCT) testing coverage rate was commendable and malaria incidence rate recorded low.
Considering the incidence rate of hypertension, it was revealed that the youths were shifting attention to emergency contraceptives which are not good for their health and has a tendency to increase blood pressure.
It was therefore recommended that the directorate should intensify education on health talk such as communicable and non-communicable diseases.
It should also, strategise the means of conducting a survey in customer care and rational use of medicines and improve data capture at the facility level.
Mr Frank Osei Manu, the Eastern Regional Finance Monitor, who represented the Eastern Regional Health Director urged the participants to intensify education on the ongoing COVID-19 vaccination exercise.