GHS set to roll out ‘Networks of Practice’ to improve health service delivery

The Ghana Health Service (GHS) is preparing for a nationwide rollout of an initiative dubbed ‘Networks of Practice’ to significantly improve health service delivery through Primary Health Care (PHS) system, especially at the sub-district and community level.

Through the new approach, the Ghana Health Service is deliberately building Networks of health facilities at the Sub-district level and supporting them better to work optimally to strengthen Primary Health Care.

Networks of Practice is designed as a group of public and private health service delivery sites interconnected through an administrative and clinical management model so that better services can be offered to clients to avoid unnecessary deaths while providing appropriate responses to clinical and public health emergencies.

Making a presentation to journalists at a Minister’s Press Briefing on Thursday, August 17, Ghana Health Service Director of Policy, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation, Dr. Alberta Adjebeng Biritwum-Nyarko noted that the goal of forming Networks of Practice is to increase access to quality essential health care and population-based services for all by 2030.

She disclosed that under the new approach, Health Centres and CHPS Compounds will be upgraded into standard health facilities to cater to more diseases while running a 24-hour service every day of the week.

This will be done through infrastructure improvement and the deployment of health personnel to these facilities.

Dr. Alberta Adjebeng Biritwum-Nyarko in her presentation indicated that the Networks of Practice will among other benefits reduce the cost of getting health care, bring quality health service closer to Ghanaians wherever they are, reduce the burden on individuals, families, and communities seeking health care.

Speaking at the Press Briefing, the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Patrick Kuma-Aboagye stressed that the service is confident that the “new strategy will increase access to health care at all levels of the health delivery system.”

He assured Ghanaians that GHS will continue to engage stakeholders as part of its efforts to better serve the citizenry through the expansion of access especially at the primary levels and also where people are vulnerable.