GHS Inaugurates 26-Member Committee To Oversee Free Primary Health Care Rollout
The Ghana Health Service (GHS) has inaugurated a 26-member Free Primary Health Care (FPHC) Implementation Committee to coordinate the rollout of the Government’s flagship Free Primary Health Care programme in 135 districts.
The committee was inaugurated at Pantang by the Director-General of the GHS, Dr Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, who also introduced the newly appointed FPHC Programme Coordinator, Dr Salamatu Attah Nantogma, Deputy Director, IME, PPMED. Dr Samuel Boakye Boateng, Director, PPME, will serve as convenor.
Dr Akoriyea tasked the committee to provide effective oversight, work closely with GHS divisions, departments and partners, identify gaps and ensure activities are aligned to achieve the programme’s objectives.
“For the proper functioning of this programme, there is a need for a high-level implementation coordinating team. The team is to have oversight responsibility for the implementation so that if there are gaps, the team will decide whether to escalate them or handle them at their level,” he said.
He named training of national-level coordinators and engagement with partners as two immediate priorities ahead of commencement.
The committee brings together directors and representatives of relevant GHS divisions and departments, alongside key partners, including the World Health Organisation (WHO), whose support has contributed to preparations.
Dr Akoriyea said partner involvement was necessary to ensure services at lower levels were well integrated and to avoid duplication.
“There is too much that we can do together,” he said, urging partners to co-create activities and synchronise interventions with GHS Headquarters to direct resources to where they are most needed, including supporting frontline health workers working under challenging conditions.
He said innovations to improve the programme must be interoperable with existing GHS systems to ensure information generated can be consolidated for decision-making.
The main committee will be supported by three operational sub-committees responsible for Finance and Logistics; Service Delivery; and ICT, Health Information and Research, to be chaired by the Deputy Director-General. The sub-committees will undertake detailed technical and operational work and report to the main committee.
As Programme Coordinator, Dr Nantogma will coordinate plans of technical divisions and departments, facilitate national, regional and district activities, follow up on decisions of the Director-General and the Implementation Committee, and coordinate field visits, monitoring, supervision and technical support missions.
She will also consolidate regional and district reports, track progress against agreed milestones and indicators, identify bottlenecks and facilitate their resolution, maintain the implementation dashboard, prepare regular briefs, serve as Secretary to the committee, and facilitate communication between national and subnational structures.
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