Task Strengthening Strategy for Hypertension Control (TASSH) Study Holds National, Regional and District Steering Commitee Meeting

October 07, 2022 | News | Reading time: 2 min

The TASSH study, which seeks to build the capacity of community health workers to address the burden of hypertension convened a national, regional and district steering committee meeting on October 7, 2022 to provide an update on the study and discuss key issues pertaining to the study. The mandate of the committee is to help with implementation of the programme at the CHPS zones by identifying key barriers and proffer strategies to address the identified challenges.

The membership of the steering committee are: Bono Regional Director of Health Services, Bono East Regional Director of Health Services, Director Policy Planning Monitoring and Evaluation of Ghana Health Service, Deputy Director Policy Planning Monitoring and Evaluation of Ghana Health Service, Director, Research and Development Unit Ghana Health Service, Director Clinical Care Ghana Health Service, Senior Manager at National Health Insurance Authority, National CHPS Coordinator, Ghana Health Service, Representative, Community Health Nurses and the NCD Programme Manager, Ghana Health Service.

The meeting, which took place at the KHRC Conference Hall saw in attendance Dr. Abraham Oduro, Director of Research and Development Division of the Ghana Health Service, Dr. Efua Commey, Acting Programme Manager for NCDs, Ghana Health Service, Dr. Fred Adomako Boateng, Bono East Regional Director of Health Services, Dr. Kwaku Poku Asante, Director of Kintampo Health Research Centre and Mr. Solomon Nyame, TASSH Coordinator.

In his welcome address, Dr. Kwaku Poku Asante stated that the meeting's goals were to update the committee on the status of the study, review its progress and assess possible implementation strategies for the study. He added that the team convened the meeting with the committee members to discuss issues of sustainability and finalize some decisions before the project's completion

Mr. Solomon Nyame, TASSH Coordinator, presented an update on the study, noting that the team has screened a total of 9,995 participants, with 2,484 identified as hypertensive. According to him, 2,484 participants have been referred and counselled. He highlighted the study's interventions, which included training of Community Health Officers and Task Strengthening Facilitators on measurement, coaching skills and health education activities.

Speaking on the challenges that beset the study’s interventions, he mentioned that lack of Physician Assistants at some health centres often led to referral of patients to distant health centres or district hospitals. He further mentioned erratic drug supply across the peripheral facilities, lack of referral compliance, cost of transportation, low understanding of hypertension, medication adherence and use of herbal remedies, among others as key challenges.

He disclosed that based on the inputs from the steering committee, the team adopted best practices including the creation of community awareness, training and refresher trainings of community Health Nurses and Physician Assistants, provision of logistics such as BP Device, batteries etc, building of monitoring and supervision component, linking participants with hypertension to care and dissemination of study findings

One main goal of the meeting was to explore the feasibility of the Network of Practice and its impact on the TASSH study. In line with this goal, Dr. Fred Adomako Boateng, Bono East Regional Director of Health Services made a presentation on the Network of Practice. He indicated that the goal of the Network of Practice is to increase access to quality essential health and population-based services for all by 2030.

He added that the objectives of the Network of Practice are to reduce avoidable maternal, adolescent and child deaths and disabilities, increase access to responsive clinical and public health emergency services and provide universal access to better and efficiently managed quality health care services.

Dr. Efua Commey, Acting Programme Manager for NCDs, Ghana Health Service made a presentation on the Ghana NCD policy and gave an overview of the objectives of the national health policy, multiple leveraging points for scale up, implementation framework and plan, among others.

The committee had a discussion on the challenges identified and provided key strategies and recommendations to address these challenges. The next steps which was suggested by the advisory committee was to write a technical brief which will be submitted to the Director General of Health Services.

Also, present at the meeting were Professor Kweku Bedu-Addo (Co-Investigator, KNUST) Dr. John Amoah (TASSH Coordinator), Mr. Kwame Agyei, Mr. Kingsley Apusiga (TASSH Coordinator), and Mrs Keziah Gladys Amaning Adjei (TASSH Coordinator)