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20.11.2014 Press Release

HAP FOUNDATION CALLS ON MINISTRY OF HEALTH TO IMMEDIATELY REVIEW PROVISION OF GHANA HEALTH SERVICE AND TEACHING HOSPITALS ACT TO CURB INCREASING PUBLIC ATTACKS ON HEALTH FACILITIES

By E.Edusei Boateng
Richard Dua-Ansah,Esq. Ag. Executive DirectorRichard Dua-Ansah,Esq. Ag. Executive Director
20.11.2014 LISTEN

More than 2300 incidents involving serious acts or threats of violence in health-care settings between January 2012 and July 2014 in sub-Sahara Africa alone, but many more attacks go unreported, according to the ICRC.

Meanwhile in Ghana, an estimated 304 reported cases of verbal and physical confrontations between health service providers and clients (specifically patients) in public health facilities in the country. This calls for urgent policy and structural reforms aimed at ultimately building trust and improving public health delivery.

Immediate review of the composition of Disciplinary and Welfare Committees, as captured under the Ghana Health Service and Teaching Hospital Act 525, is one remedy recommended by the Hap Foundation. This can remedy the increasing rate of attacks on health facilities across the country. Commendably, the Act provides institutional structure for oversight administration of health facilities. However, the seven-member composition of the Disciplinary and Welfare Committee has no space for community representation. Neither local government nor civil society organisations have representation on the committee. Such an omission creates apathy among ordinary citizens, as health facilities are not seen to be owned by them. Nurses also complain of not having representation on this committee, leaving out important cohort of health workers that interacts the most with clients.

The implementation of Health Accountability Project in twelve (12) districts in the Central, Volta and Northern Regions of Ghana, in partnership with the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition, have provided substantial basis for this call for review. The project facilitated interaction between community members and health service providers bringing out critical implications for leaving out community members in hospital administration. This harbours perceptions of corruption, especially due to inadequate flow of information. Since health facilities are one of the most patronised public institutions, it is curious to notice that the general public is left out of its administration, leaving it in the hands of professionals and technocrats. This stifles fruitful interaction and breeds suspicion.

Delays in reimbursement for internally generated funds, inadequate supplies of logistics for delivery of effective healthcare, and unequal distribution of already inadequate health professionals like midwives and medical doctors, hamper customer satisfaction in health facilities. All these together heighten the tension between health workers and clients (especially patients).

The Act should be reviewed to incorporate community members into Disciplinary and Welfare Committees to help reduce unfounded perceptions of corruption in the health sector, and ensure accountability to the grassroots. If this is followed with timely dissemination of information to communities, a cordial interface would be developed to reduce the spate of violence against health workers. Therefore, Act 525 should be reviewed to ensure that representatives of communities are made mandatory members of the committees.

This notwithstanding, the Ghana Health Service needs commendation for the significant reforms it has undertaken to ensure client satisfaction over the last few years. Such reforms include the institution of bi-annual patient surveys, creation of client-complaint desks, and the client service campaigns.

For further information or interview call Emmanuel Edusei Boateng, Communications Officer on +233 24 222 4708 or [email protected]

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