Health News of Thursday, 23 July 2009

Source: GNA

Volta Region Health Managers asked to work as a team

Ho, July 23, GNA - Dr Elias Sory, Director General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), on Thursday urged Senior Managers of the Service in the Volta region to work as a team in solving problems associated with quality service delivery.

The Director General of GHS, who was addressing the Managers as part of his visit to the region, observed that the region has the best crop of qualified personnel in the country. He acknowledged a number of initiatives which were developed by individuals in the service in the region which though useful to the service were not packaged as regional initiatives. Dr. Sory said the health sector was looking up to officials in the region for change.

He reminded the Senior Health Managers that they held the trump card to quality service delivery and urged them to be innovative, work within rules and regulations and carry those they lead along with them because "no-one is an island".

Dr MacDamien Dedzo, Volta Regional Director of Health, promised to run an open door administration "using the participatory approach with the aim of building strong health teams to provide quality health services to the people of the Volta region"

He said the Directorate has started "reviewing our systems and structures", towards realizing "the dream of greater linkages and collaboration with the Regional Co-ordinating Council, and the District Assemblies and our Traditional Authorities". Dr. Dedzo said the Directorate is committed to facilitating a stronger Regional Health Management Team and greater collaboration with health and health related institutions in the region.

On management of resources, he said "we will ensure prudent and judicial use of our health resources and also have management training in debt management as a new area in financial management". Some of the issues raised for consideration included the operations of the National Health Insurance Scheme and their adverse effects on health facilities, allowances, training opportunities for certain categories of nurses, promotions and placements, staff vehicle hire-purchase and decentralization within the service and negative effects of pre-paid electricity supply on service delivery. 23 July 2009.