High maternal and newborn mortality remain a major public health challenge in the Western Region, as National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) cripples the operations of the health facilities.
Maternal mortality in the region increased from 87 in 2013 to 93 in 2014.
The regional health directorate has, therefore, planned to reduce maternal mortality by strengthening the maternal health audit team and introduce half yearly maternal health conference.
Dr Emmanuel Tinkorang, regional director of health services, revealed this at the opening of the 2014 annual health performance review on Tuesday which was themed: ‘Improving Data to Facilitate the Achievement of Health Related Millennium Development Goal (MDG)’.
He mentioned that the delayed reimbursement by the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) was a key challenge during the year under review.
“The record available shows that 95 percent of our clients are NHIA card holders. The situation, therefore, posed a major threat to health service delivery,” he pointed out.
According to Dr Emmanuel Tinkorang, the NHIA had paid most of the facilities up to June 2014, adding, ‘If the NHIA does not pay facilities as soon as possible, health services in the region will be grounded.’
The medical doctor, therefore, appealed to the Authority to, as a matter of urgency, resolve the issue of delay in reimbursement.
Dumsor At Hospitals
Dr Tinkorang indicated that during the year under review, most of the health facilities in the region were threatened with disconnection by the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG).
“This is very unfortunate because considering the current tariff being paid by the NHIA, the health facilities will unable to pay the huge ECG bills from their Internally Generated Fund (IGF).
He pointed out that there was, therefore, the need for the Ghana Health Service (GHS), ECG and NHIA to meet and come out with modalities for the payment of the bills.
Dr Tinkorang bemoaned the fact that the performance of tuberculosis control in the region was far below the expectation.
He then indicated that there was the need to reactivate the TB control activities to improve case detection, reduce defaulter rate and increase treatment success rate.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi
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