Assemblies must have oversight duties of health facilities

The District Chief Executive (DCE) for Afigya-Kwabre, Mr. Kwaku Oppong-Kyekyeku Kaakyire, has asked the metropolitan, municipal and district assemblies to exercise strict oversight responsibilities over the district health directorates.

This, he said, was necessary to closely monitor performance and improve the quality of healthcare of the population.

He said he found it a bit out of place that the assemblies should be providing the health infrastructure but had no say in the way things were run by the health directorates.

That would have to change to enable the political heads to become adequately informed about the challenges and happenings in the sector to work out quick fixes.

Mr. Oppong-Kyekyeku was speaking to reporters of the Ghana News Agency (GNA), who had gone to the area under the GNA/STAR-Ghana’s Media Auditing and Tracking of Development projects, an initiative launched to put a spotlight on how government’s resources were helping to transform the lives of the people, particularly, those in rural communities.

The goal is to aid transparency, promote accountability and good local governance.

The DCE made reference to the “2014 Health League”, which placed the district on the 51st position in terms of quality of healthcare delivery and sanitation, and said the performance rating could have been different, if the assembly had been deeply involved in its activities.

He expressed discomfort about the present arrangement where health targets for the district were set by the regional directorate, leaving the assembly completely sidelined.

“The irony of the situation is that it is the assembly that is expected to support the implementation of any such targets and programmes with the required logistics and facilities,” he said.