UPGRADE KPANDO HEALTH CENTRE TO POLYCLINIC (FEB 28, PAGE 35)

Story: Emmanuel Modey, Kpando

THE Kpando District Director of Health Services, Dr Komla Ofosu, has appealed to the government to upgrade the District Health Centre to the status of polyclinic.
He said that would enable the facility to provide other services like dental, ear, nose and throat treatment for its clients.
Dr Ofosu made the appeal at the health directorate’s 2007 Performance Review Conference at Kpando.
He stated that as a result of the success of the roll out of the District Mutual Health Insurance Scheme (DMHIS) in the area, out-patient attendance at the Kpando Health Centre shot up from 12,469 in 2006 to 33,449 at the end of 2007, showing an increase of 168 per cent.
Dr Ofosu said malaria, the major cause of concern in the district, declined by 10 per cent last year.
He attributed the success story of the health directorate to the hard work of all stakeholders, including health personnel, the district assembly, WHO, the Global Fund and some non-governmental organisations (NGOs).
In an annual report, a nurse of the Kpando Health Centre, Mr Emmanuel Adu, mentioned some of the constraints facing the facility as inadequate staff, especially medical assistants and nurses, the lack of accommodation, facilities and equipment, as well as the lack of vehicles for the Psychiatric and Disease Surveillance units.
He appealed for motorbikes for the District Health Management Team and mosquito nets for clients.