COMMUNITY BASED HEALTH PLANNING AND SERVICES: IMPLEMENT ATION CHALLENGES IN THE SABOBA DISTRICT OF THE NORTHERN REGION

Abstract

Community-based Health Services and Planning (CHPS) initiative has become one of the strategies to enhance and improve accessibility to healthcare in rural communities. However, the implementation of this facility comes with a myriad of challenges. This study therefore investigated the implementation challenges of CHPS initiative in the Saboba District of Ghana. Results. of this assessment could guide the District and other districts as well as policy makers in the design and implementation for CHPS and other similar Community-based Primary Health Care initiatives. This is a qualitative study. Five Focus Group Discussions and thirteen Key Informant Interviews with Community Health Committee members, district level health staff, were conducted to capture their perceptions of CHPS as well the implementation challenges of the initiative in the District. Results of the study show that Community Health Committee members were unanimous in the appreciation of CHPS as a strategy for cheap and more people-centered health care strategy. The health staff agreed that CHPS is a strategy to ensure equity in health care, but also indicated implementation challenges of the initiative in the District. The study concluded that whereas there is a positive perception among stakeholders of CHPS, factors of human resource, logistics and finance present huge implementation challenges. The study recommends that dedicated funding from central government and development partners be made available to districts for CHPS implementation. The introduction of the CHPS concept into the syllabus of the health training institutions will help to adequately prepare trainees before they go out onto the field and assume new roles and responsibilities. KEY Words: Community based Health Planning and Services, Perceptions, Logistic, human resource, Finance.