Ho, Feb. 17, GNA - Guinea worm cases in the Volta Region have declined from 86 in 2006 to zero in 2009. Only one guinea-worm case was imported into the region in 2008, Dr Timothy Sewornu Letsa, the Acting Volta Regional Director of Health Services, said at a performance review conference of Health Managers in the region This means "for now indigenous guinea worm transmission has been broken since 2008 in the region." He said no wild polio virus has been isolated in the region despite active case search for Acute Flaccid Paralysis (AFP). The region has also not recorded any measles related deaths in children below five years since 2003.

Dr Letsa said the region's tuberculosis control programme has been adjudged second best after that of the Greater Accra Region for which the regional health directorate has received an award. "These successes could be attributed to the effectiveness of our disease surveillance and control activities", he said. He said the region has 53 functional Community-Based Health Planning Services (CHPS) "in order to draw health care closer to the door steps of the people."

Dr Letsa said the problem of low reporting rates and late submission of reports to the Regional Health Directorate would have to change because the release of funds "by our Partners is closely linked to regular activity on financial report submission." He said the region's health sector is faced with critical human resource and infrastructure constraints which needed immediate remedy. Dr Letsa said he was happy that 10 out of 11 new medical doctors posted to the region in 2009 are at post but only two out of 12 pharmacists posted reported. Out of 19 Biomedical Scientists posted only seven reported thus posing a big challenge to the National Health Insurance implementation and quality service in general.

Dr Frank Nyonator, Director, Policy Planning and Monitoring Ghana Health Service, said such review conferences are necessary for effective assessment of the challenges facing health delivery in the country. He said it was important that other stakeholders such as District, Municipal and Metropolitan Chief Executives and other stakeholders were invited to such forums to provide their inputs into quality health delivery.