Sissala East Health Sees Improvement Through Collaboration
Mr. Clifford Vengkungmwene, the Municipal Health Director of Sissala East, has lauded the exceptional efforts of health staff, dedicated volunteers, and various stakeholders, which have significantly enhanced health services in the Municipality.
This commendable effort is evident in the Municipality’s impressive achievement of scoring 4.1 out of 5 on the holistic assessment tool.
This was revealed during the annual performance review for 2024, held in Tumu under the theme: “Leveraging Networks of Practice: A Strategy for Attaining Universal Health Coverage by 2030.”
“This year’s performance has improved compared to last year, with most measurable indicators showing progress,”
Mr Vengkungmwene noted. “Additionally, against nationally set targets, we are now recognized among the high-performing zones based on our assessment conducted by Nandom District two weeks ago.”
The Director highlighted several key statistics: the proportion of mothers making at least four antenatal care (ANC) visits increased from 83.5% last year to 85.4%. The percentage of children aged 6-59 months receiving routine Vitamin A supplementation rose from 97.8% to 99.8%. Furthermore, the percentage of ANC registrants within the first trimester climbed from 77.9% to 80.5%. The coverage for vaccines, including measles and rubella, also improved, with rubella coverage increasing from 88.6% to 94.0%.
Mr. Vengkungmwene outlined some priorities for 2024, including achieving zero maternal and neonatal mortality, reducing home deliveries, increasing institutional deliveries, and improving emergency care and response services. He added, “We have successfully increased the number of skilled deliveries and expanded family planning services. Additionally, we have made significant progress in improving critical surveillance indicators for monitoring community health.”
Despite these achievements, Mr Vengkungmwene pointed out several challenges affecting health delivery: chronic shortages of essential medical supplies and equipment, irregular medicine deliveries from regional medical stores, and a lack of motorbikes that hampers timely service delivery to remote areas. He also mentioned the deteriorating health infrastructure, low birth weights linked to poor maternal nutrition, and the absence of a mortuary at the Tumu Municipal Hospital as significant hurdles needing urgent attention.
“We cannot accomplish this alone. I urge all stakeholders, development partners, decentralized departments, the assembly, traditional rulers, and community members to support us,” he emphasized.
In a related announcement, he advised women with fistula conditions to come forward for free support.
Mr. Abubakr Musah, the Coordinating Director of Sissala East, contributed by acknowledging the significant improvements made in the health sector while emphasizing the importance of pooling resources together. He expressed appreciation for ongoing health projects and looked forward to stronger collaboration, stating, “Your health staff are our backbone.”
He also assured participants that “as an assembly, we can facilitate the provision of an X-ray machine with the right partners both locally and internationally.” He urged the business community in Tumu to collaborate with the health committee to address the need for a mortuary in the Sissala East municipality.
Mr. Issah Mohammed Bataglia, the Member of Parliament for Sissala East, encouraged health staff to continue their dedication to quality health delivery. He promised to allocate part of the health component of the Common Fund to increase laboratory services available to the population and pledged to support the career development of deserving health personnel in collaboration with the health committee.
On behalf of the Regional Director of Health Services, Mr Tahiru Mohammed Abey, the Deputy Director in charge of clinical health, announced that tricycles would soon be distributed to ensure health care reaches all areas of the municipality. He commended the various districts for their collective achievements and expressed satisfaction with improvements in the network of service, noting that 19 initiatives are focused on fostering collaboration and integration. He urged everyone to continue embracing collaboration and innovation.
He emphasized that maternal and child health must be prioritized, stating it is unacceptable to record 23 maternal deaths in 2023 and another 20 in 2024.
Mr. Osman Kanton Luriwie, the Executive Director of Action for Sustainable Development (ASUDEV), who chaired the meeting, congratulated all those who received awards and citations. “I want to encourage all other staff who received awards to know that their contributions have not gone unnoticed. I call on everyone to emulate this hard work and continue striving for excellence.”
A citation was given to the former Member of Parliament, Mr Amidu Chinnia Issahaku for his contribution to the health sector.
Among those present were the District Police Command and representatives from the Ghana Education Service.
Source: Mohammed Balu Sala