CHAG, Safecare-Ghana, roll out 28 certified assessors to carry out nationwide assessment of health centres

One hundred and Eighty (180) Health Facilities belonging to the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) can be assured of improving healthcare henceforth, this is because the Safe care facility system programme has been rolled out to check the standards of service delivered in these facilities and raise them to acceptable levels.

It has been diagnosed that medical-related deaths and complications in the country are a result of poor medical healthcare service and inadequate infrastructure in some of the health centres in the country.

But patients who visit CHAG health facilities in the country would be spare of this dilemma when visiting these facilities because of the Safecare Programme to check these facilities standards.

Twenty- Eight assessors have been trained and equipped to carry out a nationwide assessment of the facilities.

"So the first things the assessors go in with the standards to assess the whole facilities from A to Z, including washrooms, their processes, their system, the equipment, the infrastructure, the way they are they deliver quality, everything. Once they use the standards to measure, then results of it will show the gaps that have been identified", said Dr Bonifacia Benefo Agyei the country Manager, Safecare - Ghana.

Adding that, " the next thing is to sit with the providers to plan quality improvement out of the gaps identified. That plan that is developed is going to be implemented by the facilities and the assessors are going to support in implementing it".

Emphasising that solid data analysis to provide quality report and performance and also benchmarking of healthcare facilities across the denomination will be achieved at the end.

"80 per cent of all CHAG health facilities will have higher international certified quality scores than their baseline; in effect, it should be in the state to provide better health care to patients and clients than they are doing now", she explained.

For his part, Executive Director of CHAG, Dr Peter Yeboah, the assessment project by Safecare and Pharmaccess is timely at the time many facilities are recording low patients visit due to COVID 19.

"Our patients from now on will have the level of confidence and trust in our health system. They will come to our health care facilities with the sense of assurance that indeed they will have the very best. The COVID Pandemic has caused a bit of fear and panic in witnessing a bit of decreased utilisation of the healthcare system. We believe strongly that this Safecare intervention promoted by assessors will be the beginning of better things", he stated.

The twenty-eight assessors who have gained International Standard Organisation (ISO) certification are required to review their certifications every year.