Media must highlight challenges to achieve quality healthcare

By Emmanuel Nyatsikor, GNA

Adaklu Kodzobi (V/R), March 16 GNA - Mr. Samuel Atidzah, Adaklu District Focal Person for People For Health (P4H) has said the nation's quest to achieve access to quality healthcare can be realized if the media highlight focused on challenges in the sector.

He therefore entreated the media to lead the crusade for change.

Mr. Atidzah said this at a one day sensitization programme organized by P4H, a consortium of non-governmental organizations in collaboration with the National Health Insurance Scheme, (NHIS) at Adaklu Kodzobi in the Adaklu district to educate the community members on the need to renew their NHIS card.

P4H is aimed at redressing the iniquities in the delivery of health services through the promotion of good governance practices, accountability, transparency, equity and participation.

It also seek to strengthen organizational and institutional capacities of both government and civil society for mutual accountability in health, HIV, child and maternal mortality, malaria, WASH and nutrition for policy formulation and implementation.

"The media should focus its lenses on those challenges and bring them to the attention of the authorities for redress," he said.

Mr. Atidzah said inequality within the sector was affecting people's access to quality healthcare and that informed the implementation of the project to ensure that such lapses and were eliminated from the system.

He said P4H was working in 20 districts in four regions of the country including Adaklu district and that in conjunction with the Department of Social Welfare and NHIS they provided 516 indigens with NHIS cards free of charge.

Mr. Bright Nyatsikor, Volta and Oti Regional Public Relations Officer of the NHIS advised card holders of the Scheme not to shy away from reporting any malpractices or lapses they noticed at any health facility to any NHIS office.

Mr. Pascal Ametorwosi, an official of the Agotime/Ziope District Office of the NHIS admitted that the NHIA was owing some of its clients for a period of between six and 12 months.

He said this was due to the late submission of claims by those clients and advised them to submit their claims early for prompt payment to facilitate quality and uninterrupted service to their clients.

GNA

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