Subcategory:
Category:
Words:
321Pages:
1Views:
144The national health policy developed in 2007 aimed at improving health outcomes by offering financial protection and to ensure that the system was sustainable responsive equitable and efficient To achieve these goals policy making service delivery financing and regulatory functions were allocated to autonomous agencies e g Ghana Health Service National Health Insurance Scheme teaching hospitals and others 23 Ghana is one of the few countries in
Africa with an operational health insurance system gearing towards a universal health coverage 24 As a result primary health care has become an embodied part of the health system in Ghana Eye Care in Ghana The objective of the Ghana National Eye Health Programme is to reduce avoidable blindness through the strengthening of capacities that ensure affordable and available eye care services to all people living in the country This includes the mobilization of communities to participate actively in eye health The lack of requisite human resource is however a major challenge to the work of the programme Presently there are about 97 ophthalmologists25 in Ghana some of whom are either in administrative positions or no longer in active practice Majority of those in service delivery are in the capital cities leaving the rural areas underserved Ophthalmic nurses 288 and optometrists 300 26 are the main personnel who work in eye units at the district hospitals or in urban polyclinics Eye health services are delivered by other health service providers who have been trained in Primary Eye Care