Accra, Oct. 2, GNA - The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has adopted a new dimension of health care system dubbed "Boat Clinic", aimed at making it easier for health professionals to reach residents of islands, especially those along the Volta Lake basin.

The system, which is a public-private sector collaborative effort has the idea of "Reaching the Hardest to reach" separated from the main inland to ensure that they have equal access to health care. Speaking at the premier documentary on the initiative in Accra on Monday, Dr Elias Sory, Director General of the GHS, said it was concerned with equal access to health care for all and thus the initiative was a fulfilment of that mandate.

He said the GHS' annual health review had revealed that 18 districts out of the 138 in the country, such as Pru and Sene in Brong Ahafo, Asuogyaman and Afram Plains in the Eastern and West Mamprusi in the Northern Region were deprived of health care due to their location. He said the GHS was therefore adopting the use of boats as means of transport to convey health workers and drugs to address the health needs of such communities.

Dr Sory expressed optimism that the country would in future provide permanent facilities and health workers to provide continuous health care for them.

Dr Kwadwo Antwi Agyei, Manager, Expanded Programme on Immunization, Ghana, explained that communities along the Volta basin often depended on drug peddlers and herbalists for their health needs. He said they had no emergency surgical intervention and those with emergency cases risked losing their lives as a result of the travel distance.

Dr Antwi Agyei said even when health workers managed to get to the districts, moving between the islands was also difficult and that health care within such communities was expensive, costing five times higher. He said health workers were also reluctant to move to such areas as a result of fear of drowning or to lose insurance in case of any disaster, adding that the communities were also susceptible to high maternal mortality, teenage pregnancy among other problems. He said the GHS had provided naval training for some staff to enable them to gain the experience to perform their duties with confidence.

"The boat clinic will provide primary health care such as anti-natal and post natal care, child welfare clinic, including immunization, health promotion, disease surveillance and family planning", he added.

Dr Antwi Agyei said the GHS would motivate the staff, intensify technical supervision and provide fibreglass boats, motorbikes and other camping equipment to ensure the success of the programme. Professor John K. Anarfi, Country Representative for Network for World Health Improvement, co-sponsors of the initiative said the documentary was to help generate funds and serve as a tool to transmit best practices to other countries interested in the boat clinic approach.