Accra, Oct 29, GNA - The Ghana Health Service (GHS) on Wednesday said it has advanced plans to upgrade Polyclinics in the Greater Accra Region to the status of Sub-Metropolitan Hospitals to meet the needs of the growing population of the Region and also to assist in decongesting the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital.

The Service has also provided a new Accident and Emergency Unit at the Ridge Hospital as well as modern theatres and recovery wards at the same hospital and the La Polyclinic.

Dr Cynthia Bannerman, Acting Director of Institutional Care Division, announced the upgrading exercise in a speech read for her in Accra during the opening of a two-day Greater Accra Regional Conference on Clinical Care on Wednesday.

Mrs Gertrude Agbo, Head of Monitoring and Supervision, Clinical Care Service of the GHS, read the speech at the conference, which is on the theme: "Raising the Corporate Image of the Ghana Health Service, the Role of the Clinical Care Division in Greater Accra."

The conference would assess and evaluate the performance in clinical care delivery over the past year and chart a way forward for best practices for the future.

Dr Bannerman said some health facilities had established quality assurance programmes and that public health facilities would be accredited under the National Health Insurance Scheme. She said it was important that the Clinical Care Division was staffed with competent and dedicated staff at the regional and district levels.

She said the Division should prepare its plans and budgets in line with national and regional guidelines and targets.

Mrs Agnes Owusu, Regional Co-ordinator, appealed to health service providers to be punctual and treat patients with courtesy and respect so as to win their confidence and reduce time spent at health facilities. Dr Kofi Adadey, Greater Accra Regional Director, GHS, said the establishment of the Clinical Care Division at both the Regional and District levels was a demonstration of Government's concern for quality health care.

He urged the participants to effectively apply the findings of the conference to enhance the quality of clinical care delivery. Mr Robert Okai, Chairman of the Regional Health Committee, chaired the function.