Events

Highlights of discussions

New Year Greetings and staff movements

• WR gave his New Year greetings and good wishes to all staff and welcomed Dr Vincent Ahove EPI/Surveillance in joining the WHO family.
• Ms Gertrude Adzo Akpalu, HIV/PPP left WHO to join UNAIDS.

Close out phase of District Response Initiative (DRI)

The District Response Initiative commenced in 2003. Its main aim was to scale up the District Response Initiative to improve care and support in the Ashanti and Eastern Regions of Ghana. During its implementation phase some of its major achievements included building capacity in HIV competence including management of community level actions to strengthen local level response and services. This included training of PLHIVs, District AIDS committee members, community volunteers and community health nurses in various programmes to provide them with relevant skills to serve as a bridge between the health facility and communities. It also provided financial and material support to PLHIVs and OVCs ensuring gender equity and increased access to ART, leading to their re-integration into society. Also, this initiative strengthened sustainable supervision, monitoring and evaluation capacities at various levels.

Currently the close-out phase is on and outstanding training reports and financial returns are being compiled.

Northern Region Flood situation

The emergency situation in the three northern regions is being considered as ‘over’ and most Institutions are returning to ‘business as usual’.

The Disease Surveillance Department with the support of the National Public Health and Reference Lab conducted visits to the three northern regions to assess preparedness towards meningococcal meningitis. Kassena and Nankana, Bawku (East/West) East and West Mamprusi and the Bunkprugu Yonyo have been the most CSM prone districts historically.

Routine data indicate no increase in reporting of neither diarrhea diseases nor pneumonia. The Ghana Health Service is expecting 500,000 doses of Meningococcal Polysaccharide A/C vaccine for preventive campaigns in selected districts.

UNFPA has provided a detailed list of the distribution of the Reproductive Health Kits and has invited the MOH to take part in the distribution of the kits while emergency health kits and Malaria kits from WHO are being distributed in the three regions. Two cholera kits are being kept on stand-by at the Medical stores in Tamale.

Round Table on Maternal Mortality

The Round Table on Maternal Mortality was convened by the Ministry of Women and Children’s Affairs as a follow-up to the ‘Deliver’ Conference held in London in October 2007.

The discussions focused on the causes of maternal mortality, the challenges to addressing them, the plans in place by the Ministry of Health and possible roles by other sectors. A major weakness noted was the lack of data for planning since the most reliable data available is from 1993. Other issues raised were the inequitable distribution of health facilities and health workers, as well as socio cultural factors affecting the utilization of facilities.

Chair: Dr Joaquim Saweka, WHO Representative

Present:
Dr Felicia Owusu-Antwi - MAL
Dr Morkor Newman - HIV
Dr Rosalina Hernandez – HIV/UA 
Dr Mary Brantuo - CAH/NUT
Dr Vincent Ahove – EPI/SURV
Mrs Sakyibea Akuffo-Parry – AA/WR
Mrs Priscilla Eshun - ICT
Mr Selassi d’Almeida - HEC
Mr Stanley Diamenu – EPI/RI
Mr Samuel Hagan – AA/LOG
Mr Silas Quaye – HIV/SURV
Mrs Cynthia Hagan – S/WR