The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and the Ghana Health Service (GHS) organized a handing-over ceremony of essential medical equipment to strengthen Ghana’s effort of improving quality of care for maternal, newborn and child health on May 28, 2024.
The medical equipment were handed over to GHS to be distributed to 3 Regional hospitals, 9 District Hospitals, 40 Health Centres and CHPS compounds in the Greater Accra, Ashanti, Northern and Volta regions. They are Cardiotocography (CTG) monitors, Autoclaves, Photo therapy machines, Digital Blood Pressure machine, Delivery beds, Mobile dopplers, Thermometer for adult and neonate, Infant meter, Neonatal weight machine, Resuscitation set (Bag and Mask) for adults, Resuscitation set (Bag and Mask) for newborns, Saturation monitors, Emergency/Storage trolleys, Continuous Positive Airway Pressure (CPAP), Oxygen concentrators, and Infant radiant warmers.
The equipment was handed over under the auspices of the project for the Quality of Care for Maternal and Newborn Health with focus on 5S-KAIZEN-TQM. The five-year collaborative project between JICA and GHS is operational in the Greater Accra, Ashanti, Northern and Volta regions and seeks to improve the capacity of health facilities in the targeted regions to deliver optimal quality maternal and newborn care.
With the view to support and strengthen universal access to quality maternal and newborn care in the four regions of Ghana, the equipment will complement existing interventions implemented by the project. The existing interventions include training on the use of Ghana’s Quality of Care standards, application of Quality Improvement tools to enhance the workplace environment, re-enforcing continuum of care using the Maternal and Child Health Record Book and strengthening the referral system.
According to the WHO, the quality of health services is critical to achieving effective universal health coverage (UHC) and meeting the health-related Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The success and value of UHC depends on its ability to provide quality services to all people, everywhere. The project thus provides the necessary support towards institutionalizing a culture of quality towards developing a resilient health service in Ghana.
Dignitaries present at the handing over ceremony included the Senior Representative of JICA Ghana -Mr. Oda Ryotaro, the Director of Family Health Division of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Marion Okoh-Owusu as well as other Directors.