The Volta Regional Director of Health Services, Dr. Timothy Letsa, has announced that the Volta Regional Health Directorate (VRHD) has received a 22-seater capacity ambulance boat to enhance free movement of persons in hard to reach areas.

The boats are to be given to Kete-Krachi District and Anloga Municipality respectively.

This was announced during the VRHDs Annual Health Sector performance review conference held in Ho, on the theme; “Achieving health goals using research and evidence-based practice”.

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Addressing the Health Officials, Dr. Timothy Letsa said the region had recorded significant achievements therefore, it would continue to institutionalise operational research to enhance performance.

He said that it would also provide an opportunity for Oti and Volta regions to place more emphasis on data collection and analysis to identify the causes of persistent underperformance and improve the status quo.

Positive development

He again announced that a total of 1,253 newly recruited personnel registered health officials have been deployed to the Oti and Volta regions to boost the human capital and intensify supportive supervision to all levels with a focus on non-performing areas.

Dr.Letsa explained that the health directorate would also prioritize data validation to ensure that the administrative services are accounted for in the District health information management system to platforms.

He said that Regional medical Superintendents (RMS) have paid suppliers dividends which amounts to 31. 7 per cent though there was a decline in payments by the facilities to RMS.

Challenges 

He lamented over the high cost of service delivery to 350 hard to reach communities in the Oti Region. He said efforts to achieve targets have proved futile.

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He said that inadequate laboratories in the health centres have made it difficult to operate as an institution, since patients could not be diagnosed, hence the need to mobilize resources to maintain the growth of the health sector.

He also said that there has been a delay in claims that have been reimbursed to the National Health Insurance Scheme to ensure that drugs are fully covered to cater to patients.

He said that these challenges had mitigated against efforts towards the achievement of the directorates set targets.

By Agnes Melissa Yovo | Volta Region