Dr. Damien Punguyire, the Upper West Regional Director of Health Services, expressed concern about the impact of political instability in Burkina Faso and Mali on the health sector in the region. Speaking during the opening of the 2023 annual regional health sector performance review meeting of the Ghana Health Service (GHS) in Wa, he highlighted the strain caused by the influx of immigrants, particularly in the Sissala East and Sissala West districts.
According to Dr. Punguyire, the region is facing challenges in meeting the health needs of the immigrant population, including vaccination, water, sanitation, hygiene, nutrition services, and medical care. He emphasized the urgent need for expansion of health infrastructure, improvement in the supply of equipment and logistics, and enhancement of the transportation system to build a resilient health service, especially in border districts.
Dr. Punguyire called on municipal and district chief executives to prioritize the health sector in the implementation of the Gulf of Guinea Northern Ghana Social Cohesion (SOCO) project to address these challenges effectively. He also identified high staff attrition rate as another challenge, with many medical doctors in the region undergoing post-graduate training.
To address this, he appealed to stakeholders, including the Ghana College of Physicians and Surgeons, to expedite the process of converting the Upper West Regional Hospital into a specialist training center. Dr. Punguyire highlighted some achievements in health service delivery, including the distribution of tricycle ambulances and medical equipment such as ultrasound scan machines, Oxygen Concentrators, and Patient Monitors to health facilities.
Looking ahead to 2024, he pledged to strengthen public health and clinical care interventions and intensify monitoring and supervision at all levels in line with the GHS mandate. Dr. Punguyire commended development partners for their continuous support to enhance the effectiveness of the health service.
Mr. Peter Maala, the Upper West Regional Coordinating Director, represented the Regional Minister and commended the Health Directorate for its impressive performance in 2023. He highlighted the establishment of a refugee reception center by the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) in the Sissala West District to receive displaced persons from Sahelian countries.
The meeting concluded with a regional holistic assessment score of 3.8, reflecting improvement over the previous year. The theme for this year's review meeting was “Embracing the Networks of Practice Approach to improve health outcomes in the Upper West Region.” The review process involved document review, field observations, and peer review from the Western Regional Health Directorate.
