GHANA— The Ghana Health Services (GHS), and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), have partnered again for Phase II of the Community-Based Health Planning and Services (CHPS+) project.
The two organizations launched the project in the City of Nalerigu, the capital of the Northeast Region.
The launch brought together Directors of the GHS from the national level, and across the Northeast and Upper East Regions, traditional rulers, and other stakeholders including Municipal and District Chief Executives in the Northeast Region.
The collaborative project involving the governments of Ghana and the Republic of Korea, with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) support seeks to improve maternal, neonatal, and child health indicators through strengthening community involvement.
This followed a significant achievement of a 10 percent decline in the institutional maternal mortality ratio and an impressive reduction of over 50 percent in under five mortality ratios of the first phase of the project carried out in the Upper East Region.
Additionally, CHPS’s key achievement in the Upper East Region was the significant expansion of essential curative and preventive integrated care which has yielded positive results in the fight against communicable diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis, and HIV/AIDS through early detection and timely treatment.
Bringing CHPS lessons to the Northeast Region
Launching the project, the Director General, GHS, Dr Patrick Kuma-Aboagye, said the second phase held immense significance, as it built upon the successful implementation of the first phase, and expand its proven intervention from the Upper East Region to the Northeast Region.
Dr. Kuma-Aboagye also said the concept had undergone remarkable growth through progressive development and widespread implementation and emerged as a pivotal force in Ghana’s journey toward achieving Universal Health Coverage.
“This comprehensive healthcare system has become a beacon of hope in touching the lives of countless individuals and communities by bringing healthcare services closer to the people,” he added.
Dr Kuma-Aboagye stated that the CHPS system had effectively bridged the gap between communities and health facilities for ensuring that healthcare was readily accessible to all, especially in rural and underserved areas.
“The CHPS has garnered recognition from national and international platforms as an effective model for other countries striving to achieve equitable and accessible healthcare for all while the CHPS concept has achieved considerable success,” the Director General stated.
Dr. Kuma-Aboagye said the first phase of the CHPS+ Project witnessed remarkable progress and positive outcomes in implementing and establishing interventions of incorporating tricycle ambulances and table-based health information reporting systems to enhance the quality of maternal, newborn, and child health services.
Dr. Kuma-Aboagye added that the GHS was committed to ensuring a smooth implementation of project activities and align with new initiatives such as the Network of Practice (NoP) to strengthen the health centers and other health facilities within the sub-districts to improve coordination and service delivery in the country.
He commended KOICA for their unwavering support to the health sector of this country especially in the deprived communities and the stakeholders, and staff of GHS for contributing significantly to implementing the CHPS+ Project II.
The Country Director of the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), Mr. Seungmin Oh, said the first phase of the CHPS+ Project yielded tangible and impressive outcomes from 2016 to 2021.
He said the CHPS+ Project II symbolizes the unwavering commitment of the Korean government and the collaborative efforts of their partners to improve the health and well-being of Ghanaian citizens.
Acknowledging the launch of the Phase II KOICA CHPS+ project in the Region, Mr. Zakaria Yidana, the Regional Minister, said the implementation of the project would lead to enhanced healthcare delivery.
Mr. Yidana thanked KOICA and all development partners in the Region for their continuous support in diverse ways to improve the lives of residents in the Region and said the Regional Coordinating Council was ready to collaborate with any development partner to the benefit of residents.
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