The Ghana Health Service in partnership with the Korea International Cooperation Agency, KOICA, has launched the Comprehensive Community-Based Primary Health Care Strengthening Project, CHPS+ Phase II, in two regions in Northern Ghana.
KOICA has secured 12 million US dollars for Phase II of the 5-year project, spanning from 2023 to 2027. The KOICA CHPS+ Project, seeks to improve primary healthcare delivery in the Upper East and North East regions by empowering community participation, strengthening CHPS, and improving the quality of maternal, newborn, and child health services at health facilities at all levels.
At the launch of the project at Nalerigu in the North East region, the Director General of Ghana Health Service, Dr Patrick Kumah Aboagye, called on health professionals and stakeholders to provide continued support to the previously implemented activities in the Upper East Region while expanding the proven interventions to North East Region.
Background
Since its inception in 2000, the CHPS concept has undergone remarkable growth. Through progressive development and widespread implementation, CHPS has emerged as a pivotal force in Ghana’s journey towards achieving Universal Health Coverage. This comprehensive healthcare system has become a beacon of hope, touching the lives of countless individuals and communities.
By bringing healthcare services closer to people, the CHPS system has effectively bridged the gap between communities and health facilities, ensuring that healthcare is readily accessible to all, particularly in rural and underserved areas. CHPS has successfully implemented various initiatives focused on health promotion and disease prevention. One of the key achievements of CHPS is 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.
Against this backdrop, the KOICA CHPS+ Project was conceptualized in 2014. Building upon the successful interventions of GEHIP, KOICA scaled up its support for CHPS strengthening in selected CHPS zones in all districts of the Upper East Region. The first phase of the CHPS+ Project witnessed remarkable progress and positive outcomes. By implementing established interventions like the incorporation of tricycle ambulances and tablet-based health information reporting systems, it enhanced the quality of maternal, newborn, and child health services.
The Director General of GHS, Dr. Patrick Kumah Aboagye, said the evaluation outcomes demonstrated the practicality and effectiveness of accelerating CHPS coverage in the intervention zones and providing positive improvements in the coverage of key maternal health services in the Upper East Region. He called on health professionals, communities, and stakeholders to support the project for the benefit of everyone.
He said, “Today, as we embark on the second phase of the KOICA CHPS+ Project, our objectives remain steadfast. The aim is to provide continued support to the previously implemented activities in the Upper East Region while expanding the proven interventions to North East Region”. The Director General noted that as a Service, it remains committed to ensure a smooth implementation of project activities and align with new initiatives such as the Network of Practices (NoP) which will strengthen the health centers and other healthcare facilities within the sub-district and improve coordination and service delivery.
” I urge everyone, from community members to health workers, to actively join and work together in this endeavor. Together, we’ll overcome challenges, strengthen our health system, and ensure quality primary healthcare for all”, he admonished.
Acting Country Director of KOICA, Seungmin Oh, said Phase II of the CHPS + project symbolizes the unwavering commitment of the Korea government and the collaborative efforts of GHS Ghana, to improve the health and well-being of the Ghanaian citizens particularly those in the Upper East and North East Regions. He said KOICA is happy to support GHS’s main strategy to improve primary health care in every aspect of the project.
“The Project will prioritize three key areas: enhancing community engagement, improving the quality of Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health services at healthcare facilities, and strengthening the overall health system environment. Over the next five years, our goal is to enhance community-level services by providing capacity-building opportunities for Community Health Officers/Community Health Nurses”, He explained. Mr Oh was confident that with the support and collaboration of all stakeholders present here today, they will overcome any challenge that may arise and achieve remarkable outcomes.
The North East Regional Director of Health Services, Dr. Abdulai Abukari, noted that the project will enhance capacity building for staff, promote implementation of Network of Practice Concept, CHPS Compound construction, and fuel support to enhance home visits.
It will further supply basic medical equipment for CHPS Zones, Health Centres and Hospitals in 70 CHPS Zones across the six districts in the North East region and in 100 CHPS Zones across all the 15 districts in the Upper East Region. He said the region has a total of 155 demarcated CHPS zones with less than half of them being functional. About 60 percent of the CHPS Zones have compounds and 41 percent has access to functional motorbikes.
A total of 90 Community Health Officers (CHOs) with 118 Community Health Nurses earmarked for training.
” As we embark on this journey, we must acknowledge some few challenges ahead such as limited resources, infrastructure gaps, and cultural barriers which may pose obstacles, but I strongly believe that with our collective determination, collaboration, and innovation, we can overcome them. This project provides an opportunity for us to make a lasting impact on the health and lives of our community members”, he further added.