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Ghana's Health Care Sector: I Have Every Reason To Smile

Feature Article Ghana's Health Care Sector: I Have Every Reason To Smile
FEB 8, 2016 LISTEN

I refuse to be depressed today. I refuse to be depressed by those who are telling me the glass is half empty. Yes, I refuse to walk home hopeless about the health sector of Ghana.

This is why; this morning, I have attempted to listen to radio in Ghana. Instantly I was greeted and tempted to feel hopeless as a result. I nearly threw my hands in the air to say, there is no hope in this country, as far as the health sector is concerned. A subsequent facebook comment I saw on the same subject dramatically said "people are dying" painting a gloom picture of my country's health service.

But once, I turned attention to research and to investigate the facts, the level of investment and progress my country has made in health care facilities and delivery clearly jumped at me. Immediately I noticed the danger of listening to radio too much and the likelihood of falling prey to the whims of some presenters trying too hard to remain relevant.

There clearly are major improvements in our health delivery system. And I am upbeat about them. If I had not sought the facts I would have believed the hype of negativity. I almost cursed myself for nearly falling for and under the depression-mongering that greeted me this morning.

Today, the number of Ghanaians who would have died as a result of common cholera has drastically reduced. The story and the scar of cholera deaths has become resident in our distant memory. And this is not to say there are no rooms for improvement. There clearly are. My country has now eliminated Guinea Worm. Yes, eliminated! This means that people who would have suffered from the morbidity and died from it are now free of it. I have a reason to smile today.

When we see the edifices of the Ridge Hospital expansion project, the 500 bed Kumasi Military hospital, and the Tamale Hospital Expansion project, what it means is that cases that have hitherto been rushed to Korle Bu would be referred to these new facilities, thereby reducing the pressure on Korle Bu which is meant to be for referrals. It means less queues, less waiting time, better working conditions of staff and a happier patient at Korle Bu, which also means better efficiency to the costs of our health ministry. I must smile and not be gloomy.

Today, even in first world countries like America and Britain, people die as a result of lack of one facility or the other. This is not to justify any death. But, it is worth noting what that expression seems to say, we are so bad that it only happens in Ghana. If we were to roll back to 2007 in Ghana, the statement that "people are dying" would have been true too. However, a smarter look at that statement compared to the reality of today points to a brighter and encouraging health sector of our country than we are hearing on radio this morning.

I wish to back up my assertion with some facts. Poverty has been one reason for which Ghanaians could not go to hospitals or seek private health care. Today the NHIS removes that lack of access caused by poverty. In 2006, the number of visits to hospitals and other health facilities by Ghanaians for health care through the help of the NHIS was 2.4million. Ten years after that, that number stands at a whopping 30 million. In other words, the number of Ghanaians who would have died silently because of lack of access to health care facilities and services resulting from poverty has been reduces gazillion times. Many of the new utilisation would have resulted in deaths had the NHIS not been expanded to cover them. This gives me a picture of more lives being saved rather than the "people are dying" dramatisation I heard and read this morning.

Indeed, in the last few years 1.6 million Ghanaians who are economically vulnerable, mainly under 18 years of age, dependent on Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty benefits, and under special care are totally exempted from any NHIS premium payment. Indeed, one can safely extrapolate the benefits in terms of lives saved from death as a result of this 1.6 million Ghanaians having unhindered access to health care. People are therefore not dying. Rather, people's lives are being saved!

How about staffing? There is no doubt that there is a massive need for nurses, doctors and other allied professionals in the health sector. This is to be expected at our level of development. However recent investments have resulted in major improvements. That need is reducing rather than the other way round. On training for example, there were only 25 health training institutions in Ghana in 2005. Today the number has nearly quadrupled to 95. This quadrupling reflects in the number of licensed nurses from 500 in 2009 to more than 2000 today indicating an even faster rate of outcome professionals churned out than the rate of growth of the training institutions. No doubt the annual intake of students stands at a high 12000. In 2009 the number of midwifery training schools was 14. Today that number has jumped to 31! I have a reason to be upbeat!

It is not possible to report even half of the improvements witnessed by our health sector including those made at the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital. But I conclude with the following completed projects that indicate the extent of progress made in making access a reality to even the remotest communities from Accra through Polyclinics and CHPS Compounds. Five polyclinics have been completed in Brong Ahafo and specifically in Nkrankwanta, Wamfie, Kwatire, Techiman and Bomaa. The Western Region will receive another five of such Polyclinics whereas the Central region gets 10. Out of the planned 2,948 earmarked, 1260 CHPS Compounds have been completed whiles 1600 are nearing completion. These are bold steps to continue to confront the scourge of poor health which our people have experienced in the past.

I enumerate the above fully aware of the danger of seeing them as just a list rather than life-saving interventions to keep the greatest resource of our country, the people, alive and healthy. That is the focus of bringing these achievements to the fore. And that is the reason for which we, without being insensitive to those who could not receive the same benefits, must celebrate as a country.

As noted above, while the government is at it, some people would unfortunately slip through the net and lose their health and lives. Some tragic stories will therefore be reported. But that should not be a reason to bulk under depression and sulk in despair. On the whole, I see a country that is on the move to eliminating abject lack of access to health care. I see a country which is winning the war against preventable deaths. I see a country which is increasing the number of Nurses and Doctors per capita. I see a country which is above many countries globally because of the bold modernisation of its health care delivery system. I therefore have every reason to smile at what is good about my country's health sector. I chose not be depressed by one isolated tragedy or two, unfortunate as it is.

I remain proud of the achievements of Ghana's health sector under President Mahama. And I am hopeful that it will be even better under him beyond this year. The cup is filling up; not emptying. I have a reason to smile.

Thank you,
Kofi Adoli
kofiadoli.blogspot.com

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