Koforidua, May 17, GNA - About 23 per cent of deaths in the Eastern Region last year was due to HIV/AIDS. This was disclosed by Dr Erasmus Agongo, Eastern Regional Director of Health Service, when Mr Samuel Ofosu-Ampofo Eastern Regional Minister, paid a familiarisation visit to the Eastern Regional Health Directorate at Koforidua.

He explained that the HIV/AIDS deaths were those infected about 15-20 years ago and denied that it was because of the current high prevalence rate in the region.

Dr Agongo said the impact of current efforts in creating awareness of the disease could be realised in the next 10 years when it would reduce the number of deaths since HIV/AIDS was manageable through the administration of the anti-retroviral drugs. He said malaria which often recorded the highest among the 10 top causes of admission at health facilities in the region however, was the cause of only 10 per cent of deaths that occurred in the Region last year.

Dr Agongo said the indebtedness of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to health facilities in the Region could affect health care delivery in the Region when not paid.

He said the NHIS owed Koforidua Regional Hospital about GH¢1,111,107, district hospitals GH¢2,880,474 and health centres, GH¢574,098 all totalling GH¢4,565,678.

Dr Agongo noted that there was no collaboration between the management of NHIS and the directorate on the payment of the debt. Mr Ofosu-Ampofo expressed concern about the trend and noted that the awareness creation on the mode and spread of HIV/AIDS had gone down and called for more measures to halt the spread and help curtail deaths caused by it.

He said the NHIS indebtedness to the service providers was another issue that needed to be reviewed to reimburse the service providers promptly to be able to deliver quality health care to the people. Mr Ofosu-Ampofo assured the health directorate of his support to find solutions to the many constraints facing health care delivery in the Region.