GHS Director-General tasks FPHC committee to ensure effective rollout

Written by; Regina Bless

The Director-General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr. Samuel Kaba Akoriyea, has tasked members of the newly inaugurated Free Primary Health Care (FPHC) Implementation Committee to provide effective oversight and ensure the coordinated rollout of the programme across the 135 implementing districts.

He urged the 26-member committee to work closely with various GHS divisions, departments and development partners to identify implementation gaps, address challenges and ensure that activities are aligned with the objectives of the government’s flagship Free Primary Health Care initiative.

Dr. Akoriyea made the call at a meeting held at Pantang to inaugurate the committee and introduce the newly appointed FPHC Programme Coordinator, Dr. Salamatu Attah Nantogma, Deputy Director of the Institutional Monitoring and Evaluation (IME) Unit at the Policy, Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation Directorate (PPMED).

Dr. Samuel Boakye Boateng, Director of PPME, was named the convenor.

The committee forms part of the governance structure established by the Ghana Health Service to coordinate its role in the implementation of the FPHC programme.

It will provide technical and operational oversight, monitor progress and determine how emerging challenges should be addressed during implementation.

Dr. Akoriyea said the establishment of the high-level coordinating team was necessary to ensure that implementation challenges were identified and addressed promptly.

He explained that where challenges could not be resolved at the committee level, they would be escalated to the appropriate authorities for further action.

He identified the training of national-level coordinators and engagement with development partners as immediate priorities ahead of the commencement of the programme.

The committee brings together directors and representatives from relevant GHS divisions and departments, as well as key development partners, including the World Health Organization (WHO), which has supported preparations for the programme.

Dr. Akoriyea stressed the importance of collaboration among partners to ensure that interventions at the lower levels of the health system are properly integrated and that resources are not wasted through duplication.

“There is too much that we can do together,” he said, encouraging partners to work with the GHS Headquarters to co-create activities and synchronise interventions where necessary.

He noted that improved coordination would reduce duplication and allow resources to be channelled towards areas of greater need, particularly support for frontline health workers operating under challenging conditions.

The Director-General also welcomed innovative approaches that could improve the implementation of the programme but cautioned that such solutions must be interoperable with existing GHS systems.

According to him, ensuring interoperability would allow information generated through different platforms to be consolidated and used effectively for planning and decision-making.

The main implementation committee will be supported by three operational sub-committees responsible for Finance and Logistics; Service Delivery; and ICT, Health Information and Research.

The sub-committees, made up of representatives from relevant GHS divisions and departments, will handle detailed technical and operational matters and submit their reports to the main committee for consideration. They will be chaired by the Deputy Director-General of the Ghana Health Service.

As Programme Coordinator, Dr. Salamatu Attah Nantogma will coordinate plans across the various technical divisions and departments and facilitate FPHC activities at the national, regional and district levels.

She will also follow up on decisions of the Director-General and the Implementation Committee, coordinate field visits, monitoring, supervision and technical support missions, and consolidate reports from regions and districts.

Her responsibilities will further include tracking progress against agreed milestones and indicators, identifying implementation bottlenecks and facilitating their resolution.

She will maintain the programme’s implementation dashboard, prepare regular briefs for the Director-General and the committee, serve as Secretary to the Implementation Committee, and facilitate communication and information flow between national and subnational structures.

The inauguration comes as the Ghana Health Service prepares for the official rollout of the Free Primary Health Care programme.

The new governance structure is expected to provide a clear coordination mechanism for the Service’s contribution to the initiative and help ensure that the programme is implemented effectively across all 135 participating districts.