Ghana Ministry of Health Quiz

Ghana Health Service Structure and Functions

• The Ghanaian government aims to achieve universal health coverage and a healthy population through improved health conditions.
• The Ministry of Health (MOH) works with agencies and stakeholders to enhance human capital.
• MOH's mission is to promote quality health access for all Ghanaians, aiding socioeconomic & local health industry growth through motivated personnel.
• MOH's vision is to have a healthy population for national development.
• MOH's goal is to improve the health status of all Ghanaians through effective policy, resource mobilization, monitoring, and regulation of health care delivery.

MOH Policy Objectives

• Bridge equity gaps in access to healthcare and nutrition services. Secure sustainable financing for the poor.
• Strengthen governance and improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the health system.
• Enhance health service delivery quality, including mental health services.
• Enhance Ghana's national capacity to meet health-related MDGs and gains.
• Intensify prevention and control of communicable and non-communicable diseases.

Roles of the MOH

• Provide comprehensive policy guidance for all health stakeholders.
• Provide efficient advocacy to coordinate actions across different sectors for improved health delivery.
• Mobilize and allocate resources to all health providers.
• Provide relevant and adequate information for health service coordination and management.
• Create a regulatory framework for all health service providers.
• Monitor and evaluate health services in Ghana.

Health Agencies under the MOH

• Ghana Health Services
• Teaching Hospitals
• Nursing and Midwifery Council
• Food and Drug Authority
• Pharmacy Council Ghana
• National Health Insurance Authority
• Medical and Dental Council
• Ghana Association of Quasi-Government Health Institutions

Ghana Health Service (GHS) Introduction

• The GHS Council is an autonomous Executive Agency responsible for national health policies in Ghana.
• Established in 1996, the GHS operates under the supervision of the Ghana Minister for Health.
• GHS employees and managers are not civil servants, enabling greater managerial flexibility.
• GHS does not include Teaching, Private, or Mission Hospitals.

GHS Vision

• All communities have access to timely, quality comprehensive healthcare.

Core Values of GHS

• Professionalism
• Teamwork
• Integrity
• Discipline
• Excellence
• People-centredness

GHS Mandate and Objectives

• GHS provides accessible and comprehensive health services, emphasizing primary care, following national policy at regional, district, and sub-district levels.
• Implementing approved national policies for health delivery in Ghana.
• Increasing access to good quality health services.
• Managing resources for health service provision prudently.

Functions of GHS

• Provide in-service and continuing education.
• Establish effective disease surveillance, prevention, and control mechanisms.
• Perform relevant functions to promote, protect, and restore health.
• Promote healthy living and good health habits among Ghanaians.
• Determine charges for health services with ministerial approval.
• Manage and administer healthcare resources.
• Develop appropriate strategies and guidelines for Ghana's national policy goals.

Directorates of Ghana Health Service

(Diagram depicting the structure)

• National, Regional, District, & Sub-District Directorates.
• Public Health, Institutional Care, PPME, HRDD, Finance, SSDM, Internal Audit, & HASS (Other directorates)

Organisation of GHS

• Administrative levels
• Functional levels
• Levels of care (service delivery)
• Organized at national, regional, and district levels.

Organisational Levels: GHS

• National Level: Analyzes and translates policies for implementation, tracks progress, and supports regions/districts. Mobilizes resources, monitors initiatives, and offers training. Promotes intersectoral and private sector collaboration in health service delivery.
• Regional Level: Offers technical, supervisory, and managerial support to sub-districts and districts.
• District Level: Provides quality service delivery through comprehensive and integrated district health planning, utilizing appropriate performance assessment tools.

Levels of Care/Structure of Delivery of Services

• Regional Level: Curative services at regional hospitals. Public health services by District Health Management Team (DHMT) and the regional hospital. Regional Health Administration (RHA) provides supervision.

• District Level: Curative services provided by district mission-based hospitals. Public health services by the Public Health Unit of the district hospital and its team, receiving supervision from the District Health Administration.

• Subdistrict Level: Preventive and curative services and outreach services provided by health centres within their catchment areas with basic care for minor ailments.

• Government Health Facilities:

• Health Centres: The first point of contact, headed by a medical assistant, with staff in midwifery, laboratory, public health, environment, and nutrition. Serves a population of approximately 20,000. Provides basic curative and preventive services.

• Polyclinics: Urban counterparts of health centres providing more comprehensive services, with physician-led personnel.

• District Hospitals: Serve a district population of 100,000-200,000. Provides curative and preventive care and health promotion. Provides clinical care, laboratory, medical, surgical, and outpatient activities.

• Regional Hospitals: Provide more specialized care including surgical and diagnostic services by more skilled personnel such as surgeons, physicians, nurses, midwives, and paediatricians and specialized services including medicine, general surgery, and anesthesia, pediatrics, obstetrics and gynaecology, dental services, psychiatry, accident and emergency, ear, nose, and throat, ophthalmology, and dermatology

• Non-Government & Private Sectors

• NGOs & Private Sector: The GHS collaborates with NGOs in providing health services. Government funding supports these services to increase access from 35% to 65%. The private sector mostly provides curative services.

• Quasi-Government Health Facilities: Health facilities, owned by the government, operate privately (e.g., police hospitals, military hospitals, Ghana Atomic Energy). These institutions report to the GHS biannually.

Test your knowledge about the key functions, objectives, and values of the Ministry of Health in Ghana. This quiz covers various aspects such as the role of the Ghana Health Service and policy objectives. Challenge yourself to see how well you understand Ghana's health policies and frameworks.