The North East Regional Health Directorate of Ghana held a two-day performance meeting to review healthcare progress and set goals for 2025. Key points included a drop in OPD attendance, improvement in maternal mortality ratios, but concerns over increasing stillbirth and neonatal mortality rates. Stakeholders discussed the necessity for infrastructure support and community engagement to enhance health outcomes.
The North East Regional Directorate of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) recently convened its 2024 annual performance review meeting in Nalerigu, aimed at assessing past programmes and preparing for future strategies. The meeting’s theme focused on rational workforce management to achieve quality universal health coverage. Attendees included various stakeholders from traditional, religious sectors and partners like KOICA, UNICEF, and CRS.
The two-day meeting allowed stakeholders to discuss both successes and challenges, with the objective of proposing solutions for enhanced performance in 2025. Dr. Braimah Abubakari Baba, the Regional Director, highlighted progress in healthcare delivery, aligning efforts with the Health Sector Medium-Term Development Plan to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030. However, he noted a slight decline in total Out-Patient Department attendance and reported statistics regarding antenatal care and deliveries.
Specifically, the total OPD attendance decreased from 498,448 in 2023 to 484,444 in 2024, a decline of 2.8%. Antenatal care registration in the first trimester showed modest growth, increasing from 40.6% to 42.3%. Total deliveries in the region also fell from 21,086 to 20,553. Notably, the institutional maternal mortality ratio improved from 51 to 48 per 100,000 live births, significantly below the UHC target of 70 by 2030.
Despite these improvements, Dr. Baba expressed concern over rising stillbirth rates, which increased from 8.6% to 9.1%, alongside institutional neonatal mortality rates going up from 4 to 6 per 1,000 live births. He emphasized that incomplete health infrastructure remains a significant obstacle, as the North East Region lacks its own regional medical stores and must depend on the Northern Region for supplies of essential health resources.
Mr. Ibrahim Tia, the Regional Minister, praised the efforts of the Regional Health Directorate in improving healthcare delivery and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to supporting the sector in achieving UHC. Miss Myeongseon Kim of KOICA highlighted ongoing projects aimed at enhancing health security, reproductive and maternal health services, and community engagement to promote better health outcomes, reinforcing the support from the Korean Government. Chief Naa Bohagu Mahami Abdulai Sheriga emphasized the importance of peace in achieving healthcare goals, acknowledging GHS’s dedication to quality healthcare delivery.
The North East Regional Health Directorate’s annual performance review highlighted both achievements and areas for improvement within the healthcare system. While there were notable successes in reducing maternal mortality ratios, challenges such as declining OPD attendance and rising stillbirth rates were identified. Stakeholders, including government representatives and international partners, emphasized the need for continued support and infrastructure development to realize Universal Health Coverage by 2030.
Original Source: gna.org.gh
