– A group of non-governmental organisations, (NGOs) is advocating for the absorption of community health volunteers into the Ghana Youth Enterprises and Entrepreneurial Development Agency (GYEEDA).

The Coalition for the Development of Western Corridor of the Northern Region (NORTHCODE) is of the view that community health volunteers’ contribution on to quality health delivery, especially in rural areas, was enormous but they had little or no motivation at all.

The coalition, a made up of NGOs with funding from STAR Ghana, is therefore, of the conviction that their absorption into the GYEEDA programme would enable them to receive monthly allowances, which would motivate them to step up their services.

NORTHCODE is equally advocating for District Assemblies to ensure the construction or addition of special access or entrance slabs/routes on Community-Based Health Planning Services (CHPS) Compounds and other health facilities for easy accessibility for persons with disabilities.

Mr. Eddie Telly, Executive Secretary of Partnership for Participatory Development (PAPADEV), a member of the Coalition stated these during the NORTHCODE STAR-Ghana Health Project stakeholders review meeting at Bole in the Northern Region.

The project, which would end in December this year, is being implemented in 40 communities in four districts of the region, namely; Bole, Sawla-Tuna-Kalba, West and Central Gonja Districts.

The project seeks to increase registration of community members, particularly women and children, the aged and other vulnerable groups onto the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), as well as increase community members’ patronage of the CHPS/District Health Management Teams (DHMTs) services in the districts.

Mr. Telly said the objectives of the workshop were to share experiences gained at the end of the implementation of the health project and to validate relevant information gathered by partners.

Mr. Yakubu Hamza, the Management Information Systems (MIS) Officer of the Bole District NHIS, said the membership of the NHIS had increased from 38,137 in 2012 to 46,319 in 2013 with a record of 71 percent coverage as a result of the project.

He disclosed that about 4,340 vulnerable people had been enrolled in the scheme through the intervention of the project.

Mr. Yakubu Eliasu, Bole District Health Information Officer, who made a presentation on behalf of the District Health Director, said the number of Community Based Health and Planning Services (CHPS) Compounds increased from 11 in 2012 to 13 in 2013 in the district, scaling up coverage to 42 per cent.

He noted that Out- Patient- Department (OPD) attendance also increased from 81.4 percent in 2010 and 92.6 percent in 2013.

Mr. Yakubu lauded the CHPS Compound concept and appealed to the government to consider posting midwives to such facilities to help improve skilled delivery in rural communities.