The Wassa East District Health Directorate in the Western Region is bedevilled with some challenges in health delivery such as accessibility, difficulty in travelling, and unavailability of vehicles among others.
However, despite the challenges and constraints facing it, the Directorate has been able to achieve slightly above the average performance for the Mid-Year as reviewed.
These and many others were the highlights of the Mid-Year Performance Review Meeting for 2022, held by the Directorate at Daboase.
The Review was to allow the Directorate to take stock by assessing its performance based on the target set for the year as well as address challenges and forge ahead towards the goal.
Wassa East District Director of Health, Mr Emmanuel Affelkum who addressed the occasion acknowledged that some of the challenges go beyond the ability of the Directorate.
However, he was quick to add that other local means such as motorbikes, tricycles were used to administer health services in the remotest part of the District.
He said the indicators, based on the planned activities reviewed so far give a clear picture of working towards the set target in all the service areas and urged all service providers to re-focus to ensure that the target was achieved.
He stressed that this will be followed by periodic sub-district reviews as well as validation and monitoring support visits.
Answering questions on the recently discovered Monkeypox and Marburg virus, Mr Affelkum encouraged the public to be mindful of any health conditions that are reported within the community by reporting to the closest health facility.
“Where there is no facility, the report should be made to the community health surveillance volunteers who will in turn report to a facility for the necessary steps to be triggered to reduce any form of an outbreak“, he added.
He presented an award to the Best Nurse in the District and said the District takes pride in health practitioners who find innovative ways in addressing health delivery challenges.
Mr Nicholas Paa Kwasi Turkson, a Nurse at the Domama CHP Compound was adjudged the overall Best Nurse in the District by the Wassa East Chapter of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA).
Mr Turkson who was posted to the District in 2019 and subsequently assigned to the Domama CHP Compound in the Ekutase Electoral Area is the first nurse to form an Adolescent Health Club in the District, which has helped in reducing teenage pregnancy within the catchment area.
He also created the Reproductive Child Health (RCH) Unit at the facility to ensure privacy and confidentiality among patrons and rewarded mothers who completed their Child Welfare Clinic Schedule by organising a party at the end of each year to motivate other mothers.
There were presentations on improving data collection, managing referrals, improving Reproductive and Maternal Health, disease control with emphasis on COVID-19 and preventing iron deficiency anaemia, code of conduct, and maternal health issues among others.
