The Ghana Health Service (GHS), as the primary public healthcare provider in Ghana, is intensifying its commitment to advocate for and enhance access to high-quality and safe healthcare—an essential element in achieving a universal healthcare agenda.

Under the esteemed leadership of Director General Dr. Patrick Kuma Aboagye, the GHS has collaborated with PharmAccess Ghana to embark on a joint initiative, introducing the SafeCare Quality Improvement Program on a limited scale in the Savannah and Bono East regions.

This small-scale rollout aims to assess the adoption and integration of SafeCare Standards and quality improvement methodologies within GHS settings and systems, facilitating positive changes and improvements.

Over the past year, forty healthcare facilities from the two regions—including district hospitals, polyclinics, and health centers—have been introduced to SafeCare quality standards and improvement methodologies.

Initial assessments of the facilities were conducted using the ISQua's External Evaluation Association (IEEA) accredited standards, followed by a series of quality improvement activities designed to assist the facilities in implementing changes to enhance their baseline performance.

The healthcare facilities are further aided by a digital application for accessing supportive documents and tracking activities. Training and capacity-building approaches are also employed to ensure the development of internal capacities for continuous improvement.

Moreover, over 100 smaller healthcare facilities (Community-Based Health Planning and Services compounds - CHPS compounds) from the Savannah and Bono East regions were introduced to a self-administering assessment tool. This tool allows providers to evaluate their facilities' performance in terms of quality and receive recommendations for improvement.

In a collaborative effort for better healthcare, the Director General of the Ghana Health Service conducted supportive supervision visits to selected facilities in September 2023. The purpose was to observe firsthand the adoption of the SafeCare program in healthcare facilities, identify progress, address implementation challenges, and inspire other facilities to enhance their efforts in improving the quality of care.

Drawing inspiration from the successful adoption of the SafeCare program within the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG), the Director General invited the Executive Director of CHAG, Dr. Peter Yeboah, to share his experiences in the program. Accompanied by the Country Director of PharmAccess, Dr. Maxwell Akwasi Antwi, the visit aimed to foster collaboration and knowledge-sharing.

During the visit, Dr. Patrick Kuma Aboagye, Director General of GHS, expressed satisfaction with the uptake of the Quality Improvement (QI) program in the facilities. He emphasized the crucial role of leadership, attitude, and investment in the successful implementation of quality improvement programs like SafeCare. Dr. Aboagye urged the leadership of the facilities and the Regional Health Directorate to sustain the program, emphasizing its enduring significance.

Dr. Peter Yeboah of CHAG shared his extensive experiences with the SafeCare Quality Improvement Program, highlighting the progress made since its inception in 2019. He proposed healthy competition and collaboration between GHS and CHAG in pursuit of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) through equitable and high-quality healthcare access.

He said that the GHS healthcare facilities that were visited reported marked improvements in the overall quality of care since the start of the SafeCare Program. Dr Peter Yeboah hinted, “These improvements are a testament to the effectiveness of the SafeCare methodology in enhancing healthcare service delivery.”

Dr. Maxwell Antwi, the Country Director of PharmAccess, underscored the significance of collaborative efforts between the government and private organizations in establishing a resilient, high-quality healthcare delivery system. He emphasized the need to create a healthcare system that ensures patients receive adequate care without the need for physical activation, aiming to establish a lasting health system for the current generation.

The SafeCare Small-Scale Rollout Project within the Ghana Health Service exemplifies the power of partnerships and the potential for substantial improvements in healthcare quality and delivery. As this project continues to progress, it holds the promise of positively impacting the lives of many Ghanaians by providing access to high-quality healthcare services.

In October 2023, the Ghana Health Service's small-scale rollout of the SafeCare program marked its one-year anniversary. The forty healthcare facilities that underwent independent onsite assessments have been reassessed to evaluate their quality performance over the one-year period of program implementation. Preliminary reports indicate that out of the thirty-six facilities reassessed, 75% have shown improvement in their quality scores. A notable achievement is that Bamboi Polyclinic has advanced from SafeCare Level 2 to Level 4 since the baseline assessment.

Ms. Bonifacia Benefo Agyei, the SafeCare Director of Ghana, extends congratulations to the management and staff of Bamboi Polyclinic for their outstanding effort. She encourages them to sustain the improvement by continuing quality improvement activities, adhering to established processes and procedures, and aiming for SafeCare Level 5. She also recommends that other facilities follow the example set by Bamboi Polyclinic.